To Have And To Hold
by secretangel106
Summary: Tommy's getting married - and not to who you might think! But when tragedy strikes the bride-to-be, Tommy must enlist some old friends for help. Will he begin to doubt the path he's chosen?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This is my sophomore story attempt! I promise you, it's a Tommy-Kim story... even though it may not seem like it right away! Also, I'm disregarding DinoThunder for the purposes of this fic. (Sorry DT fans... It just gave me way too many characters to work with!)_

_This takes place approximately 10 years after MMPR ended._

_And by the way, I don't own Power Rangers. That's all Saban, or Disney... or whoever. :-)_

**Chapter 1**

"Hello?"

"Hey, handsome."

"Hey sweetie. Where are you?"

"At the church. Where are you?"

"On my way to the church."

"Well, good. I just missed the sound of your voice."

"Liar. You're calling to see if I'm going to be on time."

"Alright, you caught me. But, really… do you blame me?"

Tommy chuckled. "I guess not. I don't have a very good track record."

"So you'll be here soon?"

"Of course I will."

"Alright. I love you, baby."

Tommy's heart warmed at the sound of his fiancée's thick Australian accent, and he pictured her smiling face before uttering, "I love you too." Then he snapped his phone shut and climbed into the passenger seat of Jason Scott's truck.

* * *

"He's on his way. I told you he wouldn't be late," Katherine said triumphantly as she passed the phone back to her maid-of-honor, Tanya Sloan.

"I'm glad to let you win this one, girl. I would have killed him if he was late to his own wedding," she responded, lifting her sweeping yellow gown away from her feet and making her way across the room to her purse. "It's almost 'go' time. Are you ready?"

"I'm _ so_ ready!" she responded enthusiastically, pushing a strand of blonde hair away from her face.

Tanya stepped back to her friend's side and began adjusting the elaborate train on her gown. "I'm so happy for you!" she said, admiring Kat's image in the mirror. She was tall and thin, with shining blue eyes and glistening blonde hair. Her dress was a shiny white satin with several gathers in the skirt and a long rounded train.

Katherine sighed as she turned to take in her own reflection. She had been planning this wedding as a far-off fantasy for months, but seeing herself in her wedding gown finally made it all seem like reality. She was thrilled about marrying Tommy. In all truth, he was the only man she'd ever loved, and despite their roller coaster relationship, she knew deep down that this was the right thing for both of them. She had never been more confident about a decision in her life; yet, in the back of her mind was a nagging feeling she just couldn't shake.

_Something's wrong._

She shook her head, desperately trying to rid herself of the vague suspicion that hung in her mind. She was lost deep in thought when the door to the dressing room burst open, and another gorgeous young woman dressed in yellow bounced in.

"Alright, girl, Tommy and Jason just pulled up. Are you ready for your veil?" Aisha Campbell said excitedly, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

Katherine paused to look at herself in the mirror one last time, while Aisha and Tanya exchanged nervous glances.

"Kat, what's wrong?" Tanya inquired hesitantly.

"I'm not sure… Something just doesn't feel right. Like, something bad's going to happen."

Aisha sighed as she began to pin her long white veil into her light hair. "It's the 'too-good-to-be-true' syndrome. Seriously, you're marrying a great guy! And everything's working out beautifully! I'm sure it's natural to doubt all that, but really… Just enjoy the ride! You deserve to be happy. You both do." She guided Katherine's shoulders back towards the mirror, and she and Tanya stood on either side.

Kat gazed at herself with her two best friends. This was a true Kodak moment. The three of them together looked absolutely beautiful. She took a deep breath, and turned towards Aisha.

"You're right. This is the happiest day of my life. I'd better enjoy it," Kat said quietly, blinking back a small tear. Aisha wrapped her in a hug, and Tanya soon joined. The three clutched each other for a moment before there was a quick knock on the door.

"Ladies? Are you ready?" rang out the voice of Adam Park.

The three exchanged glances, before Tanya grabbed Aisha's arm and turned back to Kat. "See you at the altar!" she exclaimed, before the two yellow clad women made their way to the door, leaving Kat alone with her thoughts.

* * *

"I swear, if you adjust that tie one more time, I'm going to choke you with it," Jason hissed. He and Tommy stood at the front of the church as the last few guests made their way to their seats. The pews were filled with friends and family, but most predominantly former rangers, some of which Tommy didn't even know. He had lost touch with several of the most recent ranger teams. It had been over a decade since Tommy last donned the ranger mantle, but he was still legendary among the power ranger teams, and when word got out that Tommy Oliver was marrying another former ranger, it spread like wildfire.

Tommy turned to face his best man. Jason had been a consistent guiding light in Tommy's life since the day he moved to Angel Grove. He had always been there for Tommy to look to, whether he was a ranger or not, and today was no exception. "Thanks, bro," he uttered quietly.

"For what? Threatening to kill you?" Jason replied sarcastically.

Knowing that this could push them down the path of being overly sentimental, Tommy decided not to push the issue. The two of them had strong images to uphold, and they couldn't do that if they were getting teary-eyed about their meaningful friendship. So Tommy nodded knowingly and let it drop. He knew that deep down, Jason knew what his gratitude was for.

The music changed suddenly, signaling them that the ceremony was about to begin. The two men straightened their posture and took their places next to the altar.

The first person to appear at the back of the aisle was Tommy's mother, escorted by Adam. She was beaming with pride for her son, and was visibly trying to hold back tears. Adam escorted her to the front pew as she blew a discreet kiss towards her son. Then Adam retreated to the back of the church to continue his duties as usher.

Next was Katherine's mother, escorted by Rocky DeSantos. She was making no effort to control her tears of joy, and they fell freely down her cheeks.

Aisha's bright smile appeared at the back of the church, and her obvious confidence soothed Tommy's nerves instantly. She took the arm of Tommy's other groomsman, his brother David, and the pair made their way to the front of the church.

Once the two had taken their respective spots on either side of the altar, Tanya began her trek down the aisle. She smiled brightly at guests as she walked by, her arms filled with a large, brightly colored bouquet. She winked at Tommy as she turned to stand beside Aisha.

Tommy took a deep breath. _This is it… _ he thought to himself. The music shifted again to the bridal march, and the expectant guests stood and shifted their attention to the rear of the church.

The music played several bars, but the doorway at the back of the church remained empty. Tommy fidgeted with his tie one last time. The suspense was killing him.

Quiet whispers spread through the crowd as the guests remained on their feet. Finally, a figure appeared in the doorway – not dressed in a white gown, but a tuxedo.

From his spot in the doorway, Adam strained to make eye contact with Tommy. When he did, he raised his arms up in a panicked shrug. The whispers turned to startled gasps as Adam made his way hurriedly to the front of the church.

"Tommy! She's gone!" he stammered.


	2. Chapter 2

_I rushed to get this chapter out, too, because it was killing me to have a chapter all about Tommy and Kat getting married. I'm getting to the good stuff, I promise!!_

**Chapter 2**

"Kat, please, call me back. I know this is like the thirty-seventh message I've left, but I really need to talk to you. Please call. Soon."

Tommy flipped his phone closed and slumped despondently in the front pew. He had removed his jacket and loosened his tie, and he looked far more disheveled than he had a mere hour ago. He rubbed his temples and took in the silence of the now-empty church.

He jumped at the sound of a door slamming closed, and he tried to force a smile as Jason and Adam approached.

"All the guests are gone. We made sure they all got home safely," Adam reassured.

"My parents?" Tommy inquired.

"David took them home," Jason replied.

Tommy sighed, then asked hesitantly, "Kat's parents?"

Adam and Jason exchanged glances before Adam spoke. "Tanya and Aisha offered to take them home, but they left without the girls. Her mom was a wreck. I don't think either one of them saw this coming."

"Do either of them know where she is?" Tommy accepted their silence as a negative answer. He pushed himself back into a near-recline. "What just happened?" he muttered in disbelief.

Adam sighed and took a seat beside Tommy. "We have no idea. I got the other two girls, they came down the aisle… I went back to get Kat for her dad and the room was empty."

"She didn't leave anything behind?"

"She left _ everything _ behind. All of her clothes from earlier, all of her make up… It was all still there."

Jason shook his head. "That's too weird, man. Why would she run out like that?"

Adam started to reply, then realized that speculation may be too difficult for Tommy to deal with right now. So he shrugged meekly and kept quiet.

The door swung open again and all three men swiveled towards the door. Rocky, Aisha and Tanya, still dressed in their formalwear, entered. Tommy immediately looked to the two girls for answers; his pleading glances were answered with silent hugs.

The group's silent solace was again broken by the sound of the swinging door, and in walked Billy Cranston and Zack Taylor. Tommy stood to greet the young men. He had spotted both of them in the pews right before the ceremony, but with all the chaos he hadn't had a chance to greet either one of his old friends. He reached to shake Zack's hand, but Zack pulled him into a firm embrace instead.

"Hey, man, we're so sorry," Zack said softly, looking to Jason for additional support.

"You seem to be holding yourself together quite well," Billy said, patting Tommy on the back.

Tommy sighed. "I don't think anything's really set in yet. I mean, I was just ditched at the altar…" Tommy trailed off as he backed away from his friends slowly.

"And you know we're all here for you right now, Tommy," Aisha said softly.

The group stood quietly, allowing each other's presence to calm and comfort them. Several moments passed before Tommy spoke up. "Why don't we head back to my place for a while? We'll talk, have a few drinks… Whatever. I just don't want to go home alone."

Aisha squeezed his arm. She knew that Kat was planning on moving into Tommy's house in Santa Cruz once they were married, and that much of her stuff was already there. It would be a painful place for Tommy to go. However, the comfort of home would probably be beneficial to him as well, so she reluctantly agreed, along with the others, to accompany him home.

* * *

The group began to make their way out of the church, Tommy leading the pack. The bright afternoon had turned into a gray, drizzly evening, and the night sky seemed to reflect the collective mood of the close group of friends.

As they approached the parking lot, Billy hung back a bit and cast one last glance towards the church. Something wasn't sitting quite right with him, and he felt hesitant about leaving. He turned back to the group and pulled Aisha and Tanya aside.

"Do you really think Kat would run out on Tommy?" Billy asked in a hushed tone.

The girls exchanged glances before looking back to Billy. "Billy, honestly…" Tanya started, looking back to Aisha for support, "I never would have expected her to get cold feet. I mean, she's been looking forward to this for months! Years, even! But today, right before the wedding…" she trailed off, hoping Aisha would jump in.

"What? What happened?" Billy asked, being uncharacteristically impatient.

"She seemed nervous. Unsure. Kept saying something was wrong," Aisha supplied.

"We tried to cheer her up, and I really didn't think it was cold feet!" Tanya said defensively.

"I totally agree. I just didn't realize she was that upset," Aisha added.

Billy shook his head. "It's just not like Kat. Have either of you tried calling her?"

The girls nodded in tandem. "No answer," Tanya murmured, her voice cracking slightly.

"I'm going to stay here. I want to look into some things. Tell everyone else I'll meet them back at Tommy's," Billy said firmly.

"Do you want us to stay?" Aisha asked, glancing at the rest of her friends who were starting to climb into cars.

"No, I'll call if I need some help."

"Okay," Tanya said uneasily as she gave her friend a quick hug. "Let's go," she said, motioning to Aisha. The two women headed for the parking lot, while Billy returned to the church.

* * *

Zack dropped a handful of beer bottles into the recycling bin, then reached into the fridge to pull out several more. Jason followed him into the kitchen.

"I think I might stay here tonight," Jason said. He felt the need to clear the plan with Zack because the two of them were planning on splitting a room at a local hotel. "I don't think Tommy should stay by himself. I'm sure you're welcome to stay too."

Zack nodded and motioned with one of the beer bottles towards Jason. "That's probably a good idea. I've probably had one too many of these to drive anyway."

"I think everyone else will probably head back to the hotel, eventually." Jason knew that Tommy was holding himself together fairly well now, but once everyone started leaving, he would definitely need their support.

"Sounds like a plan," Zack confirmed with a nod as he moved past Jason and back to the living room where the rest of the group was. He rejoined Adam, Rocky, Aisha, Tanya and Tommy in the living room, with Jason close behind. Tommy appeared significantly more relaxed than he had a few hours ago, and no one had mentioned the events of that afternoon in quite a while. Zack didn't know if Tommy was truly coming to terms with the loss of his fiancée, or if the five beers he'd downed had pushed him into denial.

Several moments later there was a frantic knock on the door. Tommy rose to answer, while the rest of the group looked around uneasily.

Tommy swung the door open to find Billy.

"Hey, Billy, come on in!" Tommy greeted, but Billy was two steps ahead of him as he made his way past Tommy and into the living room.

"Billy, where'ya been?" Zack asked.

"I stayed behind at the church to do some tests." When he was met with confused looks, he elaborated. "I thought there might be more to Kat's disappearance than just a runaway bride."

Jason waited for Tommy to react, but when he didn't, Jason pushed onward. "Did you find anything?"

Billy took a deep breath. "Yes, I did. I picked up some very strange readings. It looks like there were some evil forces involved."

A hush fell over the room filled with people whose lives had been interrupted and affected by evil forces numerously over the course of their lives.

"So where is she, Billy?" Tommy demanded, finally finding his voice.

Billy slowly turned to face Tommy. "I don't know," he responded quietly.

"You don't know? What do you mean you don't know?" Tommy's voice was edged with rage, and he was clearly struggling with his own self-restraint. Jason stood up and intervened.

"Tommy, calm down. Billy, what _do_ you know?"

"I know she's okay – for now. I picked up on her bioenergy, and she's not showing any signs of being hurt. I also know she's in a dimension that runs parallel to ours. That's what I know."

Silence hung in the air before Adam posed the inevitable question. "So what do we do?"

Billy sighed before continuing. "We have a couple of options. The one that seems to be the most practical would be to contact the current ranger team and enlist their help."

"Does anyone even know the current ranger team? Or where they're based? Because there have been so many different teams in the last decade that I wouldn't even know where to start," Rocky posed to the group.

Tommy shook his head and tried to control the quiver in his voice. "Rocky's right. I don't even know the current team. And this isn't a rescue mission that I'd trust just anyone with."

"Yes, but if they're rangers, we should be able to trust them, right?" Tanya countered.

Jason sided with Tommy. "The newer teams have different mentors and different priorities. If it were a team being led by Zordon, no problem. But I don't know about all the ranger rookies running around."

"Which brings me to option 2," Billy continued. The group looked at him expectantly. "If we only trust Zordon's rangers, who better to do the job than us, right?"

The friends and former rangers exchanged confused glances, until Adam spoke up. "Billy, how is that possible? We don't have powers anymore."

"Affirmative, Adam. We don't have ranger powers, which makes this quite a bit more dangerous than trusting it to current power rangers. But if that option is off the table, this is our best alternative. You see, we can still access some of the peripheral powers of the morphin grid – specifically, teleportation, communication, and most importantly, the zords to some degree."

Aisha rose to her feet. "Since when?" she challenged. "We've never been able to do any of that stuff before."

"Well, you see…" Billy stammered. Zack laughed quietly to himself at Billy's obvious attempt to explain his ideas in layman's terms. "You see, these powers are… well… it's like they're locked in a vault inside the grid. But we're all permanently connected to the grid, so we can all get to the vault."

"Yes, but how do we open the vault?" Aisha asked patiently.

"Before I get to that, I have to make sure we all understand… Even if we gain access to these powers, we will not have the powers of power rangers. No protective armor, no weapons… only our own strength. All we'll have are a few tricks up our non-spandex sleeves. I want to make sure everyone understands the peril we're facing here."

"We can manage, Billy. I know we can. Just tell us how to get into the 'vault'," Tommy said, his patience clearly wearing thin. "Kat's life is at stake here."

"That's the second catch, Tommy. Only the original ranger team can gain initial access to the powers. Once we have them, all rangers who are connected to the morphin grid can use them. But the original team, the original owners of the power coins must take them first."

"That's no problem, Billy. You, Zack and I were all original rangers," Jason added hopefully.

Billy glanced back and forth between Tommy and Jason, who were now standing side-by-side in eerily similar stances. He knew he was about to open a giant can of worms. With a sigh, he continued. "We need the _whole _team. All of the original rangers."

The room once again fell silent as Jason turned to look at Tommy. "What do you think, bro?"

Tommy thought for a moment, then nodded. "We don't have a choice."

Jason nodded in agreement, then looked back at Billy. "Looks like we have some phone calls to make." He reached into his pocket for his cell phone and motioned for Zack to follow him out on to the deck.

Tommy watched them go with a blank stare, but his heart was beating wildly in his chest. Jason and Zack were on their way to call the last two members of the original Mighty Morphin Power Ranger team - Kimberly Hart and Trini Kwan. Tommy and Kimberly had enjoyed several of their high school years blissfully in love, and his time with her still stood out in his mind as one of the deepest emotional connections he'd ever formed with anyone. Everything was great, until Kimberly left to train in Florida for the Pan Global Games. Soon after that she'd sent Tommy a letter explaining that she'd found someone else, and subsequently his roller coaster relationship with Katherine had begun.

He understood why Billy had been reluctant to propose this option; however, Tommy had no trepidation about seeing Kimberly again. The two had seen each other a handful of times over the last few years, most recently at Trini's college graduation, and they were always amicable. They hadn't discussed Kimberly's letter to him or really anything of any significance. Usually they just uttered a few words of small talk and went on their merry way. He had no qualms about having her join their makeshift team.

As he watched Jason and Zack disappear, though, he realized why the mere thought of having Kim around was causing a knot to form in the pit of his stomach.

Kimberly was the only person on the planet that could make him doubt his decision to marry Katherine.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Kimberly stepped out of the jet bridge into the airport gate and paused to take a deep breath of California air. It had been far too long since she'd been home to visit. She found herself lost in familiarity, and for a brief moment her anxiety about the reason for her visit vanished.

As she made her way through the gate towards the baggage terminal, though, the sinking feeling in her stomach returned. She thought about Jason's phone call the night before, and she thought about how crazy it was that in the matter of only a few hours she had thrown together her essential belongings and jumped on a plane. The worst part was, she was completely in the dark. All Jason had said was that it was an emergency, a matter of life-or-death, and that she had to get to Santa Cruz as soon as humanly possible.

Kim descended to the baggage claim platform, and a familiar face in the crowd instantly soothed her jittery nerves.

"Zack!" she called excitedly as she leapt off the bottom step of the escalator and ran towards him. He caught her in a giant bear hug.

"Kim! You look fantastic! How have you been?"

"Great! Except, I'm confused about why I'm here. Care to enlighten me?" Kim said, stepping back from him to look him in the eye.

Zack shrugged. "Sorry, girl. Jason made me promise I'd let him explain. I think he thinks I don't have enough tact," he said, smiling.

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine… So, when can I expect him to grace us with his presence?" she said sarcastically, but never losing her bright smile.

"Actually, after we get your bags, we're supposed to meet him at a snack shop near the security checkpoint. He's over in the other terminal, waiting for Trini."

"How convenient," she said with a giggle. "Well, either way, it's great to see you!" Then she spun on her heel and headed for the baggage carousel.

* * *

Jason stood outside the deli and snack shop where he was supposed to meet Zack and Kimberly. He was feeling a little nervous – not so much about seeing Kim, but about convincing Kim to help them. This was a sensitive situation, and it would really be better for her to just stay away from the whole thing. However, for Billy's plan to work, that was no longer an option. He knew Kimberly would never turn her back on an innocent person in need. He just hoped that Katherine would still fall under that umbrella, as far as Kim was concerned.

He saw the two of them approaching and took a deep breath. _Here goes…_

"Kimberly!" he called, as the small ball of energy barreled towards him.

"Jason! Hi!" she responded, standing on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck. "Where's Trini?"

"Her flight's been delayed," he said apologetically. "She should be here in about an hour."

Kimberly shrugged and nodded. "Alright, then. Just enough time for you to fill me in on what's going on."

Jason and Zack exchanged glances. Zack smiled, shrugged, and pointed at Jason. "Hey, man, you said you wanted to handle this one."

Jason sighed, then turned and led the three of them into the deli, Zack lugging Kimberly's bag behind them.

* * *

Kimberly chewed thoughtfully on her straw as Jason finished speaking. She sat in contemplative silence, trying to digest everything she had just heard. After some time passed, she managed to speak.

"So, Tommy's married. To Kat," she said quietly.

"Technically, no. Kat disappeared before the wedding took place," Zack said optimistically, but his cheerful tone was met with a glare from Jason.

"But you need me to help save her, so they _ can _get married."

Her words were met with silence. Kim squirmed off of her tall barstool.

"Hey, where are you going?" Zack exclaimed.

"I just… I just need to move… or something," Kimberly said, throwing her hands up in the air, then dropping them down to rub her face as she paced in front of the counter.

"Kim," Jason said compassionately, swiveling to face her, "I know this will be hard for you. But I'm asking you to put your history with Tommy aside for a couple of days. Act like you would if it were any of us in that position – an old friend, not an ex-boyfriend. And, I know you might not think of Katherine as an innocent victim, but she also doesn't deserve to rot in an alternate dimension."

Kimberly stopped in her tracks and spun her head to look at Jason. "I'm not going to leave her there! That'd be… that'd be awful! Of course I'm going to help you guys. I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to deal with seeing… them… as a 'them'…" she stuttered, collapsing back on to her barstool.

Jason breathed a sigh of relief, then reached an arm out to squeeze her shoulder comfortingly. "We'll all be there to help. Remember, just act as though Tommy were just an old friend, and one of your old friends needs your help."

Kim mustered a small smile from her place between the two men, then bounced out of her chair again. "Alright, I'm in. Let's go get Trini."

* * *

Two hours later, Jason's truck pulled up in front of Tommy's Santa Cruz home. Trini and Kimberly sat in the back seat, and they had spent the 45 minute drive talking each other's ear off. In the course of the trip, Jason and Zack had exchanged several knowing looks, but didn't dare try to jump in to their conversation. Trini and Kim had stayed in touch fairly well over the years, and didn't have much to catch up on. Instead, they had spent their time discussing Kimberly's current dilemma – how to help Kat while keeping her distance from Tommy.

As Jason slowed to a stop, Kimberly's voice rang out from the back. "Oh… my… God…"

Kimberly extricated herself from the truck quickly, but then paused to take in the view of Tommy's home and its surroundings. It was a gigantic, two story red brick colonial. The long driveway was lined with tall trees, and beyond the house all she could see was the cool blue waters of the Pacific. "This is Tommy's house?" she uttered in disbelief.

Jason made a move towards Kim, but Trini beat him to it. "You ready?" she said quietly, as she wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

Kimberly turned to look at Trini, then expanded her gaze to Zack and Jason. "Absolutely."

* * *

Kimberly remained in a state of shock as she entered the house. She stepped through the front door with the others into a large, bright entryway. Directly in front of them was a large staircase, and to the right was a pristine living room with light carpet, large windows and an elegant stone fireplace. Beyond that was a small study, where four young men were gathered around a computer monitor. Before Kimberly could identify the four, though, a shriek ripped her from her state of awe.

"KIM!!"

Kimberly whirled to her left to find Aisha barreling at her full force. "How are you, girl?" she cried excitedly, as she leapt in Kim's direction. The two girls embraced enthusiastically. Meanwhile, the commotion had caught the attention of Tommy, Billy, Rocky and Adam from the study, and they were making their way to greet the two young women.

"Aisha! Ohmigod, I've missed you!" Kim cried excitedly, as she made her first of many greetings.

The two young women were met with warm greetings from all, and once everyone had hugged and said 'hello,' Kimberly realized there was only one pair of people who hadn't exchanged greetings.

Her and Tommy.

Tommy and Kimberly came to the same realization at the same time, and amidst all the chaos, their eyes locked on one another simultaneously.

A brief moment of awkwardness ensued, and Kimberly scrambled for a response. _ Just remember what Jason said. Act like you would with anyone else. _She gazed at him for a moment, and took him in from the top down. His hair, now short and spiky, was perfectly sculpted. His shoulders were broad and muscular, and they flowed perfectly into his flawlessly chiseled chest and abs. He presented himself with a great deal of confidence; yet, her deep familiarity with Tommy's persona told her that he was a mess. She took a deep breath.

"Tommy, I'm so sorry about Katherine," Kim uttered in a near whisper, as she stepped forward to hug him.

Tommy enveloped her in a full embrace, and he buried his face in the top of her head. The familiar coconut-smell of her hair took Tommy back about ten years, and for a moment he wasn't sure he could let her go. "Good to see you, Kim," he whispered.

The emotion-laden moment was broken by an intense beeping sound. Billy sprung to action first, and led the ten former rangers to the study, where several pieces of electronic equipment had been set up in addition to the modest computer Tommy had arranged on the desk.

"She's moving! Billy exclaimed, pointing to a radar screen with a blinking red dot.

"Is that Katherine?" Zack asked.

"Affirmative. I've set my sensors to monitor her bioenergy emitted through the morphin grid. The scanner can pick up on any power ranger, past or present," Billy said proudly.

"So you mean to tell me this is the first time she's moved in the last twelve hours?" Tommy exclaimed in a panicky voice that made Kimberly's breath catch in her throat.

"No, not necessarily. The sensor only tracks to the nearest 10 feet. I can't get any more specific without accessing the morphin grid."

"So, this is the first time she's moved out of a ten foot radius," Adam confirmed. "That's good! Maybe that means she was tied up or something, and now she's free."

"Or somebody came in and took her somewhere…" Jason said cynically.

Billy shook his head. "My scans haven't picked up any other being in her vicinity. She's alone."

"But she's still okay?"

Billy nodded encouragingly. "Yes, Tommy. Physically, she's fine."

"Well, we should still try to get her out of there as soon as possible. Billy, how soon can we get there?" Jason asked.

"I'll start the preparations right away," he replied as he began to shuffle between the gadgets on the desk.

The rest of the group remained gathered around Billy awkwardly, until Trini spoke up. "Tommy, how about a tour of your mansion? Billy could probably use some space."

Tommy laughed – for the first time since the day before – and shrugged. "Sure. Follow me."

* * *

After the tour, Billy was still frantically pushing buttons on the computer keyboard, and the rest of the group had gathered in the living room to catch up and reminisce. Kimberly excused herself, then stepped out on to the pool deck through the large double doors from the kitchen that Tommy had shown them on the tour. She paused to take in the breathtaking view of the luxurious pool and the large hill leading down to a sandy coastline. Then she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and started dialing.

A few moments later, Tommy stepped into the kitchen to fetch drinks for his guests. He stopped when he spotted Kim. She was standing on the deck talking on the phone, her hair swaying gently in the afternoon breeze. She was wearing a peach colored tank top that complemented her tan skin beautifully, and baggy white cargo pants that fell to mid calf. Her back was turned, and Tommy took the opportunity to gaze at her for just a moment. Then he returned his attention back to the task at hand, but instead of filling several glasses, he filled two glasses with ice, grabbed two diet sodas from the fridge and headed for the doors leading to the deck.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Yes, by VISA… What time is check-in?... Thank you so much for your help." Kimberly flicked her phone closed and whirled around to head back into the house. She jumped when she saw Tommy standing behind her, just outside the door. "Hi," she said breathlessly, "You scared me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to catch you off guard. I thought you might want something to drink," he said, offering her a glass and a can of soda.

"Thanks."

"Hey, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but… were you just making hotel reservations?"

Kimberly smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm here as long as you guys need me."

Tommy nodded in response, a contemplative look crossing his face. "You know, I've got two spare bedrooms, plus a couple couches. Jason and Zack were planning to stay here… You and Trini are welcome to stay, too," he offered, glancing down at his feet.

Kimberly cast him that bright smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts. "Really, Tommy? That's a lot of house guests."

"I don't mind. It's better than being here alone."

Kim paused to ponder the option. She knew she'd probably spend most of her time here anyway, even if she were to get a room at the hotel. It'd probably be more of an inconvenience to be shuttled back and forth. So she smiled and softly said, "Okay."

Tommy's eyes finally found hers and he smiled gently. "Great."

"This is quite a place you've got here," Kim said, backing up to gaze at the house.

Tommy shrugged humbly in response. "I just bought the place a few months ago. I don't really feel like it's home yet."

"Did Kat help you pick it out?" Kim asked innocently, and then immediately regretted her words as tension clouded Tommy's face.

"Um, well… not really." Silence hung uneasily between the two, until Tommy continued. "Kim, I – "

Kimberly cut him off, hoping to mend the wound she'd just ripped open. "I'm happy for you, Tommy. Things are really coming together for you. You're obviously successful, and most importantly, happy," she said soothingly with another bright smile. "And don't worry. We'll get your bride back."

Kim's words should have calmed Tommy, but instead he found himself feeling nervous and conflicted. _What is my problem? Everything's going just fine!_ he scolded himself silently.

Tommy and Kim's reunion was interrupted by Billy's voice ringing out from the living room.

"Okay, guys, we're ready!"

* * *

Once the ten rangers had reconvened in the small study, Billy produced a crystal orb from a black velvet-lined box.

"Where did you get _that_ ?" Aisha asked, disbelievingly.

"Oh, this? I just picked this up at a magic supply shop." When met with confused looks, Billy continued. "There's really nothing special about it. We just need something to hold and focus the energy from the five original rangers to restore the peripheral powers."

"Where are we focusing the energy to?" Trini inquired. Billy motioned to a large control panel that now rested on Tommy's desk. It looked like it had been pulled directly from the former Command Center. "Where did that come from?"

"I created it during my time at the Command Center with the Zeo Rangers. I thought it might come in handy one day."

"Good thinking, Billy," Jason said, clapping him firmly on the back. "Now, what do we need to do?"

Billy placed the orb on the table on a small pedestal to keep it from rolling, then led them wordlessly by reaching out and touching the orb with the tips of his fingers on one hand. The ball appeared to illuminate a bright blue underneath his fingertips. "Just place your hand on it. Energy will flow through you into the orb. Be careful, it may make you a little dizzy."

"How do we know when to stop?" Kimberly asked nervously.

"You'll feel the energy stop flowing. Then just take your hand away." Everyone nodded in understanding, and Zack reached forward to place his hand on the ball, followed by Trini, Kimberly and Jason.

Bright colors illuminated the ball, and the five arms attached to it visibly tensed as the energy traveled freely through them and into the orb. Trini staggered a little bit, and Rocky stepped up to brace her. "Take it easy," he said, watching the incredible sight before them.

Kimberly, meanwhile, was trying hard to fight the waves of dizziness that were overcoming her. She raised her free hand to her forehead as though she were literally stabilizing her own head. She could see the other four former rangers were struggling with similar effects. "Gee, Billy, a 'little' dizzy?" she said quietly, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I underestimated the effects the energy transfer would have on all of us," he said, staggering as well.

Then, as quickly as it began, the energy stopped flowing, and they slowly pulled their fingers away. The ball continued to glow brightly with all of their respective colors. The dizziness had overcome several of them, though. Zack leaned over and placed his head between his knees, and as Kimberly watched him do so she felt the floor coming towards her very fast.

A pair of strong hands broke her fall, and she turned to see Tommy holding her up with a concerned look on his face.

"You never get tired of catching me, do you," Kim murmured softly as she disentangled herself from his arms.

He smiled modestly. "Are you alright?" She nodded in response, and turned to check on her other friends.

Billy had regained control of his quivering legs and was now pushing some buttons on the control panel. Soon, the bright light from the orb leapt towards the panel, each color entering the panel at a different spot. Billy stood back and watched his handy work.

When the energy transfer stopped, a bright white light burst forth from the top of the panel, and the group turned collectively to see a wide array of colors glowing from the opposite end of the desk. Billy hurried towards the rainbow excitedly.

"This is what I've been working on all morning!" he said enthusiastically, as he lifted one of the brightly glowing objects from the table. It looked remarkably similar to their old communicators. "With these we can communicate, and we can also use them to teleport. Come take yours!" he said, motioning for them to come forward. On the table were ten of these multi-colored glowing wristwatches – two reds, one pink, three yellow, two black, one blue, and one white. Each person picked up their respective band and fastened it to their wrist.

Trini took a deep breath, still trying to regain her composure after the energy transfer. "Now what, Billy?"

"Well… I guess now that I have the energy I need, I need to figure out a way to open a portal to where Katherine is."

Tommy nodded. "Billy, while you do that, I'll help everyone else get settled in."

Billy nodded, and one by one they turned and headed for the stairs, Tommy leading the way.

* * *

Around 1:30 that afternoon Trini stepped back into the study with a cup of warm tea to find Billy behind the computer monitor with a frustrated look on his face. She stepped behind him and patted his shoulder gently. "How's it going, Billy?"

Billy sighed deeply. "It's not working. The energy from the morphin grid isn't concentrated enough to pull open a portal."

"But you still have a lock on Kat?" Trini asked, handing him the cup of tea.

"Affirmative. She's just fine. I think she's still confined somewhere though. She's moving around a little more, but she hasn't gone out of this area," he said, motioning to a spot on the radar screen.

"That's good. Anything I can do to help?" Trini asked as she pulled herself into a sitting position on the floor beside Billy's chair.

Billy shrugged. "Not unless you can figure out a way to make this portal work." He sighed and stretched, then turned to look at Trini. "What's everyone else up to?"

Trini flicked her long dark hair over her shoulder. The morning had been incredibly tense, and she was happy to be engaging in casual conversation. "Well, Kim, Aisha and Tanya are making lunch for everyone, and the guys are out on the deck doing God-knows-what."

"Kim, Aisha, and Tanya, huh? How are the three of them getting along?"

Trini caught Billy's meaning right away. "You mean because Tanya's been led to believe that Kim is the antichrist? Remarkably well."

Billy laughed a little. "Yeah, Tanya's got her flag staked in the ground of Camp Katherine, doesn't she."

Trini smiled. "Yeah, that's what best friends are for, though. To take your side no matter what."

"I guess that means you've got your flag in the ground at Camp Kimberly, huh."

"Yeah, I guess I do, even though I think the negative feelings really only flow one way there."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think Kim has bad feelings towards Katherine, like everyone thinks that she does. She may be a bit jealous, but I don't think she hates her."

"But Katherine dislikes Kimberly?"

Trini shrugged. "I don't know her that well. But I think she probably feels threatened by her. And she may have good reason to feel that way…" she trailed off cryptically.

Billy nodded. He knew exactly what Trini was getting at. "So where does that leave Aisha in all of this?"

"Well, I think Aisha feels conflicted. I mean, she's got deep loyalties to Kimberly and Katherine. And I don't think she necessarily has to choose a side – at least, not yet. We'll wait and see what happens when Katherine comes back and finds Kim here."

Billy raised his eyebrows and turned back to the computer screen contemplatively. He pushed a few more buttons before whirling back to look at Trini. "Hey, why weren't you already here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why weren't you here for the wedding? Didn't Tommy invite you?"

Trini smiled wistfully. "Yes, I was invited, but I was supposed to leave for a week long conference in Germany this morning." Trini had recently graduated from Columbia University with a Master's Degree in International Law, and she was actively pursuing a career as an ambassador for the United States. "So I politely declined."

"So now you're missing your trip anyway?"

Trini shrugged. "This is a priority. There will be other conferences. Besides, I've missed you guys." She paused for a moment, and then added, "But if Kim asks, I wasn't invited."

"Trini! You'd lie to your best friend?"

"To protect her feelings, yes. She didn't get an invitation. I'm pretty sure she didn't even know Tommy was with Katherine again, let alone marrying her. But this is a hell of a way for her to find out, and so far she seems to be holding up okay. I'm going to do everything I can to keep it that way."

Billy nodded knowingly. "Well, Trini, I'm sorry that you have to miss your conference. Especially under these circumstances. I'll do everything I can to reach our objective quickly so you can return to your life as soon as possible."

Trini's voice caught in her throat. She had never thought of this venture as something outside of her everyday 'life.' These were her friends. This _used_ to be her life, and that thought saddened her deeply. "Billy… I'm happy to be here. I miss you guys."

"I'm sure this isn't as exciting as your life back home, though."

"Are you kidding? This is way more exciting!" Trini reached up and squeezed Billy's hand affectionately. "It's been so long since I've challenged myself in this way. And the only people I ever get to talk to are a large group of people whose interests are just like mine. That gets boring. I want to be here with you guys. I need to be here."

Billy smiled wistfully. "I'm glad you're here, Trini."

Trini's turned into a small giggle. "Besides, watching Tommy and Kim stumble all over each other never gets old. I mean, seriously… Kimberly's looking at him like she did right after we pulled him from Rita's Dark Dimension."

Billy froze, his hands suspended in mid-air above the keyboard. His eyes darted upward to the left, and became lost in thought for a brief moment before exclaiming, "Trini, that's it! You're a genius!"

Trini had experienced several of these Billy-epiphanies in her lifetime, but this time she was truly lost. "Billy?"

"The Portal-Coms! Trini, remember the Portal-Coms we used to get to the Dark Dimension? We can use those to focus the energy!"

Trini smiled, and prodded Billy gently. "Billy, do you still have the Portal-Coms?"

"Yes! Not here, but yes! At home, in the garage…or…well…" Billy trailed off in a chain of nearly incoherent stammers.

Trini reached up and grabbed his shoulder. "Billy? Billy." She paused until she had his full attention, then she continued, "Let's go get them."

* * *

_So, it's taking a little longer for this story to develop than I originally planned. There are some great TK moments coming, I promise you! Hopefully you're all enjoying the buildup, though, and I hope you'll all keep reading!!_

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Aisha dug through the contents of Tommy's refrigerator. "Man, doesn't Tommy believe in mayonnaise?" she muttered exasperatedly.

"Check the pantry," Tanya offered. "They just went grocery shopping. They probably bought some."

An awkward silence followed Tanya's admission of her personal knowledge of Katherine and Tommy's everyday life. Kim looked up from her spot at the end of the counter to make eye contact with Aisha, then pointed towards the large pantry in the corner of the room.

The three girls began assembling sandwiches using some lunchmeat and a loaf of bread they'd managed to gather from Tommy's kitchen. Aisha soothed the discomfort in the room by trying to break the ice between her two friends. "So, Kim, I haven't heard much from you since you took home those medals a couple years ago. What have you been up to?"

Kim smiled as she began slicing tomatoes. "Well, I took a position with Coach Schmidt as his athletic trainer. I do some coaching, some strength training… You know, whatever the new girls need."

"What medals?" Tanya asked with genuine curiosity.

"I brought home a gold medal on the balance beam, and our team took home a silver, overall in the 2000 Olympics," Kim said modestly.

"Really? You have Olympic medals?"

Kim nodded, then proceeded to field Aisha's original question. "Well, I competed for a couple more years after that. I actually hurt my shoulder a little preparing for the Olympics, though, and it got progressively more painful, so I gradually eased off on my competitive load. By the time the 2004 Olympics rolled around, I decided not to push it anymore. I gave up my spot on the team and stepped up as a coach."

Aisha listened for a hint of sadness in her old friend's voice, but she didn't catch one. Kimberly seemed thoroughly content with where her life had taken her.

Just then, Billy and Trini burst into the kitchen. "Hey, ladies!" Trini said sweetly. "Billy and I are going to make a trip to his house to pick up some equipment. It's about a two hour drive, though, so we won't be back until this afternoon."

"I hope Tommy's not upset that it will take so long," Billy said with genuine concern in his voice.

Aisha shrugged. "Hey… You gotta do what you gotta do. I wouldn't worry about it."

"Well, we'd better hit the road. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get back."

"Here," Kim said, pulling two sandwiches from the plate. "For the road."

"Thanks, Kim," Trini said, turning to leave.

"I'm going to go tell everyone the food's ready," Tanya said, wiping her hands on a dish towel. She exited as well, leaving Kimberly alone with Aisha.

"Tanya seems nice, especially for hating me as much as she does."

Aisha rolled her eyes at her friends. "She doesn't hate you. She just doesn't know you."

"She sure seems close with Tommy and Katherine."

"Well, she was Kat's maid-of-honor. So she's been around a lot lately."

A peculiar thought crossed Kim's mind, and she turned to stare at her friend. "Were you in the bridal party, too?"

Aisha paused, then looked back at her friend. "Kim, don't."

"What?"

"Don't try to make me feel bad."

"Aisha," Kim said, moving toward her, "I'm sorry, that's not what I was trying to do. I just didn't realize you were still so close to her… and him…" She sighed, then continued. "And, at the same time, I feel really bad that we haven't stayed in touch more. I'm not angry that you're close with Katherine, but I feel guilty that the two of you are now closer than you and I are."

Aisha threw her arms around Kimberly. "We still have lots of time to fix that."

The emotional moment was broken by the sound of the patio doors swinging open.

"Everything okay?" Tommy asked as he entered with the others, noticing the two young teary-eyed women in his kitchen.

"Yeah, we're fine," Aisha said, swatting a tear from her cheek. "Let's eat!"

* * *

Trini and Billy returned several hours later, much to everyone's delight. There were only so many ways to kill time. Kimberly was especially thankful to see Trini bounce back through the door. She had endured one too many awkward moments in all the reminiscence and catching up, and she was ready to go save the love of Tommy's life and move on.

"Alright, we've got the Portal-Coms!" Billy announced, nearly tripping over his own feet in excitement. "We can set them up right outside on the beach!"

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Zack said, nearly leaping from his seat in anticipation.

Kim made a move to follow Zack off the deck when a thought dawned on her. _I'm not really dressed for traipsing into other dimensions…_ she thought, looking down at her strappy sandals. I should probably change. She whirled around and ran right into a wall of muscle – Tommy's ab muscles, to be exact.

"Kim?" he said softly, catching her by the arm to keep her from stumbling backwards. "Everything alright?"

"Um, yeah… I just thought I'd better change before we go."

"Okay," Tommy responded, but did not move to let her pass. After staring at her for what felt like forever, he leaned in a little closer and said softly, "Kim, you don't have to go."

"What?"

"I mean… I'm really glad you're here. But we only really needed you to get into the dimension. I'll totally understand if you don't want to go rescue Kat."

Kim paused, maintaining firm eye contact with Tommy while choosing her words carefully. "Why does everyone think I have an issue with Kat?"

Tommy looked a little stung. "Kim, I was just looking out for you. I didn't mean to upset you. I just… I mean… I get it. And I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to do. I really appreciate you being here in the first place. I couldn't ask you to do any more – especially something potentially dangerous."

Kim smiled at Tommy's softened demeanor. "Tommy, I wouldn't miss this for the world. I just need to change into something more practical," she said, stepping around him.

"It sucks that 'more practical' probably means 'less revealing'," he called after her in a flirtatious tone. It took every fiber of strength in Kim's body not to look back as crimson slowly crept over her cheeks.

* * *

Once inside, Kimberly found Trini standing over the computer keyboard. "Trying to duck out on the interdimensional travel?" Kim joked as she walked by.

"No, Billy just was so excited about getting those things set up that he didn't look up the coordinates to get us back to this dimension. I'm just covering for him."

Kim laughed. "Well, when you're done with that, hold up just a minute. I'm gonna change."

"No problem."

Kim made her way to the guest bedroom where her bags had landed and pulled out a white tank top, a hooded sweater, a pair of shorts and tennis shoes. She changed quickly and was about to step into the bathroom when she heard Trini's panicked shriek.

"KIM! HURRY!"

Kim bolted from the room and flew down the stairs to find Trini standing near the patio doors. She squinted against the setting sun and saw a large number of silhouettes on the beach – a larger number than there should have been. While she couldn't make out who or what the other shadows were, it was clear there was a fight going on.

Kim took a deep breath. Then she reached for Trini's arm. "Let's go!" she exclaimed, her legs carrying her off the deck as though they had a will of their own.

* * *

Billy had barely gotten the first Portal-Com staked in the ground when a flash of light down the beach caught all of their attention. Behind the bright glow, twelve creatures appeared. At first they appeared disoriented, but after laying eyes on the eight former rangers, they moved with purpose directly towards them.

"What are those?" Aisha asked from behind Jason, who had already dropped into a defensive stance.

"They look like putties… but in armor!" Zack observed, falling into stance alongside Jason.

The objective of the human-like creatures became immediately clear as they made a beeline for the Portal-Coms.

"Hey!" Billy called, ripped from his focused state of mind as one of the bronze-clad creatures swung at him.

The rest of the team moved in to take on the beings, despite being outnumbered, and they proved to be quite formidable. Tommy found himself fighting two creatures at a time – one to either side.

"Jas! You alright?" he called between blows, seeing Jason take a hard fall.

"Yeah, bro. Let's just try to keep them away from the equipment." Jason's plan, though, proved to be easier said than done.

As a creature ran towards Aisha, she tried to take it down with a high spinning kick. It caught her heel though, sending her careening into the sand face first with one foot still in the air. Tanya attempted to run to her aid and was met with a sharp jab in the gut, knocking her to the ground alongside her fellow yellow ranger.

Adam and Rocky were collectively matched up with three creatures, and even their innate sense of teamwork was failing them. Rocky moved forward to kick, and as he hunched Adam used his back as a springboard to leap and kick towards another creature. Both of their blows connected, but made little impact.

Zack was uncomfortably surrounded by three creatures, and he found himself feeling anxious about his rusty martial arts skills. He attempted to swing at one creature and missed, and was instantly clobbered from behind by the other two. He managed to position himself to toss one creature over his back, then stumbled backwards to regroup.

Billy was doing everything he could to protect the Portal-Coms, but most of his efforts were futile. He moved defensively and tried to hold off two creatures, but while taking on one of them in hand-to-hand combat, the other came at him from his left side, blindsiding him and knocking him to the ground, defenseless.

After one of the creatures threw Jason to the ground again, he turned his attention to Tommy, who was still embroiled in conflict with his two cronies. Tommy directed his attention to the newcomer, leaving the other two unattended. They managed to grab him from either side and lock his arms tightly behind him, leaving him defenseless to the third.

Tommy flinched and tried to brace for the impact of its strike. Just as it moved to hit him, though, a flash of white moved through the air, knocking the creature to the ground.

Tommy struggled to shift his gaze, and he beamed when he saw the petite brunette landing a perfect flip kick.

"Need some help?" Kim asked breathlessly as she moved to strike the creature to Tommy's right. The creature ducked, freeing Tommy's right arm and allowing him to strike the creature on the left.

Trini, in the meantime, had hurried to help Billy. She helped him up from the sand and took a firm stance in front of one Portal-Com.

The battle ensued for several moments. The former rangers became battered and bruised, with no visible injury to the bronze creatures. Suddenly, in a flash of light, the creatures disappeared as quickly as they appeared.

Everyone took a moment to catch their breath. Then Tommy turned to Billy, who had sunk to his knees in the sand.

"Billy? Everything okay?"

Billy sighed and shook his head. "The Portal-Coms are broken."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Can you fix them Billy?"

Billy paused, as though he hadn't heard Tommy's inquiry. "Well, luckily, I can fix them. Unfortunately, I'll need some replacement parts, and I probably won't be able to get those until morning."

"So you mean Kat will have to spend another night trapped?" Tanya asked, her voice edged with concern. Billy nodded solemnly.

"DAMMIT!" Tommy exclaimed loudly, putting his hands on his hips and stalking away from the group indignantly. Kim's instincts told her to chase and console him, but she held back. _Stop it, Kim. That's not your spot anymore. Know your role, _ she chided herself.

Billy sighed as he began to scoop up the pieces of Portal-Com. "Tommy, I'm sorry."

Tommy didn't answer, but continued to storm down the beach. Trini began to help Billy with the broken equipment, and the rest of the group followed her lead.

"It's alright, Billy. It's not your fault," Aisha said comfortingly.

"Yeah, Tommy's just upset right now – but not at you. You've been a big help already," Zack added. Billy nodded and thanked his friends for their support.

Once the pieces of the Portal-Coms had been collected, the caravan began their trek back up to the house. Tommy remained at the water's edge, gazing out towards the horizon. He was trying desperately to process his thoughts and feelings. He was the leader; he was supposed to be the strong one. And for being so strong, and so capable, he couldn't manage to rescue his fiancée. Complicating all of these feelings of inadequacy were incredible feelings of guilt – guilt, because he knew he could push harder. He knew he could try harder. He knew he could do more. And yet, something was holding him back.

Somehow, he was happy without Katherine being around. And that thought was eating a hole straight through him.

Kimberly glanced back over her shoulder as they walked. She could sense Tommy's angst, and she could practically articulate his thoughts. She finally allowed her instincts to rule her, and she stopped in her tracks.

"Hey, I'll catch up," she whispered to Jason, who was hiking alongside her. He nodded knowingly, and watched as she turned and headed back down the beach.

Kim approached Tommy quietly, and did not speak until she was almost upon him. She debated whether to say anything at all. She ultimately decided it would be stupid to just stand there in silence, so she pressed her voice from her lungs as best she could. "Hey."

"Hey," Tommy responded, without turning to look at her.

Kim stepped up beside him and took a deep breath. "Tommy, it's not your fault."

"I know."

"We're all doing everything we can."

"I know."

"So what's wrong?"

Tommy didn't answer, and maintained his stoic expression as he gazed out over the water.

Kim sighed and looked down at her feet. "Tommy, I'm having a hard time carrying on this conversation by myself. And it was hard enough to get myself to walk over here, so I need you to help me out."

Tommy loosened and turned to look at her, and Kim turned her eyes back toward him. "Kim, I'm sorry," he said softly. "I know it's not anyone's fault. I really didn't mean to snap at you."

Kim shook her head, maintaining strong eye contact. "I know, Tommy. I know what you're thinking, and I know what you're feeling. I just want you to know we're all here for you. None of us are going anywhere until Kat's safe."

He responded with a soft smile, and he leaned in closer to Kimberly. Somehow, just her being near him made him forget what he was upset about in the first place. "I'm glad you're here, Kim."

She nodded, and reached over and squeezed his hand. "Me too, Tommy. I just wish it were under better circumstances." She paused for a moment, then added, "So why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?"

Tommy pulled away from her slightly, and averted his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Tommy, don't. Don't try. I know you're feeling guilty, and all 'responsible-leader'-like, but that's not all. You know better. I know better."

He paused, knowing full well that Kimberly was right. He started to protest, then stopped, whirling around to look at her dead on. Her dark eyes twinkled, and the corners of her lips were turned in the slightest of smirks. He started to protest, but was instantly cut off.

"Come on, Tommy, you know I'm right."

He flashed her a bright grin, having been caught in his own almost-lie. The warmth from his smile made the petite brunette melt, and she was sure she was blushing furiously.

"Okay, yes. There is something more. But I'm still kind of working through that part."

"Well, if you decide you want to talk about it, let me know."

Tommy reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. "Thanks Kim."

"Anytime," she said, breathing in the familiar scent of his cologne. The two enjoyed the brief affectionate moment quietly, before Kim spoke again. "Let's head back to the house and talk about what to do next." She turned to go, and after enjoying the sight of her walking away, Tommy followed.

* * *

Back inside, the remaining teammates were gathered around the kitchen table, already actively discussing their next move.

"I'll call the electronics store in Santa Cruz tomorrow morning. They should have the parts in stock, and I can get them tomorrow sometime," Billy said hurriedly.

"Those guys were tough, and I have a feeling we'll see them again. Can we access any weapons from the morphin grid?" Trini asked.

"I have some of our weapons, but unfortunately, none of them are powered by the grid anymore. They might be somewhat useful, but they're not as powerful as they used to be."

"I want to know what those things were," Aisha stated firmly.

"More importantly, who sent them," Adam added.

"Alright, guys, we've got lots to do," Jason interjected, jumping back into the leadership role seamlessly. "Billy, why don't you and Trini work on the Portal-Coms. Do as much as you can tonight, and figure out exactly what you'll need to get tomorrow. Aisha and Tanya, maybe you could start doing some research on those creatures. Billy's got all the hard copies of the files from the old command center. See if you can figure out what they are, where they came from, and how to defeat them. Zack, Adam and I will inventory the weapons and see what's useable and what's not."

"And I'll take care of ordering something for dinner," Rocky said proudly, making sure he had a role in something.

"Good deal," Jason said, with a small smile. "Does that sound good to everyone?"

His question was met with a collective nod, and the group was about to disperse when the patio door swung open and Kimberly walked in, followed closely by Tommy. Their entrance was met with wide-eyed looks and questioning glances.

"So what's the plan, fearless leader?" Tommy asked facetiously, realizing that a plan had been made without them.

Jason smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. "I guess our multi-colored leader is done being cranky," he said, posing the question more towards Kimberly than Tommy. Kim giggled and nudged Tommy forward.

Tanya was watching Tommy and Kimberly's body language uneasily. There was subtle flirtation in their movement, and while she had never seen the two of them when they were together, she sensed that they were becoming comfortable with one another again, as they had been many years ago. She made a mental note to keep an eye on them. She knew that Tommy and Kimberly's break-up was highly contested by all the former rangers, and it was possible that she was the only person in the room who would look out for Katherine's best interests in all of this.

Tommy started to speak again, but was interrupted by a ringing telephone.

"Oh, yeah, someone's been calling. We weren't sure if we should answer," Billy said absently.

"Thanks, guys," Tommy muttered as he headed toward the study.

"So, are we slumber partying here tonight?" Kim asked, joining the group at the table.

"Some of us are," Tanya said, with forced pleasantness.

Zack broke the awkward animosity hanging in the air. "Jason and I are staying for sure. I'm sure anyone else who wants to can camp out."

Kim nodded. "Yeah, Tommy told me I could spend the night earlier too."

"I bet he did," Trini said with a wink that earned her a kick under the table from Kim and an evil glare from Tanya.

"Anyway, I was just wondering who else was staying,"

"I think I'll probably stay, too. It would be a two hour drive home, and the same drive back in the morning," Billy added, oblivious to the innuendo that had just occurred.

"I haven't even thought about where I'm staying, so I guess I'll stick around too," Trini said.

"Yeah, if I let you share my guest room," Kim retorted.

"Ha ha," Trini said sarcastically.

"Rocky and I have a room at the hotel down the street. All our stuff is there, so we may as well head back there, if there's nothing else we can do here," Adam declared.

"So do Tanya and I," Aisha added.

Tanya's eyes shot to Aisha. "Um, I don't know that we should go, Aisha. I mean, we need to get Katherine out of there."

"I know we do, but it doesn't sound like there's much else we can do until Billy gets those things fixed. We'll stick around for a while, do the research like we promised, but then we should get out of the way. Besides, the original team needs some reunion time," Aisha said with a smile.

Tanya sighed. It was the 'reunion time' that concerned her.

Just then, Tommy re-entered the room. "Uh, guys? In all the chaos, I forgot that Kat's parents still think she's missing. They're pretty panicked."

"Hmm. Good point," Jason said thoughtfully. "I didn't even think about that."

"Yeah, me neither," Tommy said. "So I need to go over there and talk to them."

Tanya rolled her eyes. Tommy forgetting to contact Kat's parents only further proved her point.

"What are you going to tell them?" Aisha said, furrowing her brow.

"I don't know. I think I'll just try to stall. I don't want to have to tell them about us being rangers, but I will if it comes to that."

"I'll go with you," Tanya said, standing up quickly. "Kim? Do you think you could help Aisha go through the Command Center files instead?"

"Uh… Sure…" Kim said. She'd missed their previous conversation, so she really had no idea what Tanya was talking about, but she was happy to help in any way she could.

"Alright, then," Tommy said, reaching for his car keys on the kitchen counter. "We'll be back soon. You guys, help yourself to whatever, and call if you need anything." Then he and Tanya disappeared out the front door.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

A short time later, Kimberly found herself curled up in an oversized armchair in one of the two guest rooms upstairs, a large stack of manila file folders at her feet. Aisha was sprawled out on her stomach on the floor.

"I didn't even know we had files from the command center," Kimberly said thoughtfully, picking up a folder labeled 'RITA REPULSA – PUTTIES'. "For being so computer-dependent, I'm surprised Billy even thought to hold on to hard copies."

"Well, it's a good thing he did," Aisha responded, digging through 'LORD ZEDD – PUTTIES'. "Perfect for a time like this. Plus, I think he had some time to kill after he wasn't an active ranger anymore."

"Yeah… It's too bad he lost his powers like he did."

"He didn't really lose them. There were only five Zeo Crystals, and six rangers. He chose that role voluntarily, and I think it probably fit him pretty well. But to be honest, I wasn't there either."

Kim nodded. "Do you ever regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"Giving up your powers?"

Aisha paused to reflect for a moment. "No, not really. I feel like I accomplished a lot of good in Africa, more than I could have as a ranger."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, don't get me wrong – the Power Rangers are all about doing 'good.' But really, as a ranger all I was able to do was protect from the 'bad.' I liked being able to change things for the better, and that's what I was able to do in Africa. I was proactive, instead of being defensive."

"So what are you up to now?"

"Now? I own an animal shelter in Oceanside, and I've got my foot in the door with several animal rights groups. They keep me busy."

Kim smiled. "Sounds like you're still doing lots of good," she said, swapping for another file.

"Yeah, I like to think so. More on some days than others," she said with a shrug. "What about you?"

"What about me what?"

"Do you regret giving up your powers?"

"Well…" she said, still formulating her response in her head. "I've thought about it a lot. I definitely don't regret pursuing gymnastics. I just wish I would have been able to find a way to do both."

"You mean, gymnastics and being a power ranger?"

"Yeah. Like I said, I'm happy that I pursued gymnastics competitively, but sometimes I think I shouldn't have left Angel Grove."

Aisha paused, trying to phrase the question she was dying to ask without upsetting Kimberly. When she finally spoke, her voice was considerably quieter, as though she didn't want anyone else to hear. "Do you think that if you would have stayed in Angel Grove, you and Tommy would still be together?"

Kimberly's face fell, and she averted her eyes from Aisha, who immediately regretted her inquiry. Aisha started to apologize, but Kimberly cut her off.

"Well, I think there's a pretty good chance that I wouldn't have broken up with him if I would have stayed in Angel Grove. But, from the looks of it, there's still a good chance he would have left me for Kat anyway, and I think that would have been even more painful."

"Girl, are you kidding me?" Aisha exclaimed, pulling Kim from her morose daze. "He wouldn't have left you. I'd never admit that to Kat, of course, but seriously… The only reason he ended up with her is because you weren't around." At this point she noticed her friend's eyes filling with tears, and she pushed herself up off the floor and joined her in the chair. She wrapped her arms around Kimberly's shoulders as she curled her legs against the opposite arm of the chair. "That's not what I meant, Kim. We all thought it was a good idea for you to go. And it was… It was a good idea for you to go. I mean, my God, you won Olympic medals! That's huge!"

"I know," she said, dabbing at a tear in the corner of her eye. She sniffled, then turned to look her friend in the eye. "No regrets," she said softly.

"Kim, everything always works out for the best."

"Yeah, it does, and since Tommy is _marrying _Katherine, that probably means I would have lost him to her anyway."

Aisha sighed and repositioned herself. "Okay, I'm walking a line here. I'm trying to stay loyal to Kat, but there are some things you need to know. And the most important thing is this – Tommy is still in love with you."

* * *

Tommy and Tanya drove for several miles in contemplative silence before Tommy finally spoke.

"Tanya, is everything okay?"

She sighed. She'd been trying to figure out exactly what she needed to say, and she wasn't sure she was ready to speak. However, Tommy presented her with an opportunity to air her concerns, and she had to take it, ready or not. "Tommy, I'm worried about Kat."

"I know, Tanya. We all are. But the rangers have never failed, and we're not about to start now, especially not when it's Katherine's life on the line."

"That's not it. I'm not worried about us rescuing her. I'm worried about her reaction when she comes home and finds Kimberly making herself at home in your house."

Tommy paused in a stunned silence. Tanya's words were bordering on an accusation that he thought he wouldn't hear until Katherine came home. He thought about how he would react to such a statement from Kat. _Honestly, I'd probably yell and swear because we've had this argument so many times,_ he thought. _ Better not take that route. On to Plan B._

"Tanya, Kimberly's here to help save Katherine."

"I know, but seriously… How do you think Kat will react?"

Tommy laughed contemptuously. "Probably not very positively. But that's too bad! Kim dropped what she was doing and came here to help rescue her, and as soon as she's safe, Kim will go back to her life in Florida."

"But you won't go back to your life, Tommy. I mean, you'll go back to your life with Katherine in reality, but in your mind you'll be back in 1993 with Kimberly!"

"What the hell are you talking about? You weren't even around when Kimberly and I were together."

Tanya took that particular hit in stride. She was expecting that blow. "I know, Tommy, but I was around when the two of you broke up. I was around when Katherine helped you pick up the pieces, and I've been around for the last ten years while you held Katherine, a woman who _loves_ you with all her heart, at arm's length so you could pine over a girl on the other side of the country."

"Tanya, you have no idea what you're talking about. I love Katherine."

"Yeah? What about Kimberly?"

"What _about _Kimberly?"

"How do you feel about her?"

"I… I… We…" Tommy started, trying desperately to articulate his feelings about Kim that he hadn't quite come to terms with yet.

"Exactly," Tanya said. "Tommy, I'm telling you… You'd better watch yourself with Kim, because tomorrow, Katherine will be home, and you'll be getting married. I'd hate to see you do anything stupid to mess that up." Her voice was quiet but threatening.

Tommy took a deep breath and tried to reign in his temper. He was holding the steering wheel with a white-knuckle grip. He was definitely ready to jump back to 'Plan A,' with the swearing and the yelling. He took one more deep breath, then spoke again in a shaky voice. "Tanya? You're stepping in here on territory you don't really understand, and you should really back off."

"Why didn't Katherine want Kim invited to the wedding?" Tanya said relentlessly. When Tommy didn't respond right away, Tanya continued. "I'll tell you why. Because her being around is a threat to your relationship with Katherine. Toss in Katherine being… not here, I guess, and it's everything you need to screw up a perfectly happy life – yours and hers, specifically."

"Tanya, I'm doing everything I can to get Kat back as soon as possible. I've gathered rangers from all across the country and turned my house into a pseudo-Command Center. I don't know what else you expect me to do."

Tanya smiled, and in a slightly menacing tone, she spoke four words that made Tommy's stomach drop. "Tell Kimberly to leave."

* * *

"Aisha, that's ridiculous," Kim said, a look of disbelief on her face as Aisha scrambled back to her spot on the floor.

"No, it's the truth! And Kat knew it. That's why she didn't want you invited to the wedding."

"I think it's perfectly normal to not want your future-husband's-ex-girlfriend at your wedding. That doesn't mean he's in love with me."

Aisha sighed. She'd have to continue sharing what she knew about Tommy and Kat's relationship, an act that made her feel just a little disloyal. She reminded herself that doing 'good' was not always about making one person happy. It was about doing what was right. So she continued. "Kim, Kat and Tommy have had a pretty rocky relationship. They've broken up a few times, and every time it has something to do with you. At least, that's what Katherine says."

"Exactly. That's what she thinks it's about."

"But really… Every time someone mentions your name, or a certain song plays on the radio, or you parade across the television screen with Olympic medals, Tommy pushes Katherine away. I've seen him do it, and I'm not even sure he realizes he's doing it."

Kim giggled at the thought of herself parading across the television screen, and her giggle faded as she realized she behaved much the same way. Every time she watched the news and they reported on the Power Rangers, she'd get a little distant. 'Spacey,' her last boyfriend had called it. But it wasn't about missing being a ranger – it was about missing Tommy.

"They've been really good together lately, and I was genuinely happy when they decided to get married. But I've seen the way Tommy looks at you the last two days. I've seen him so awestruck with you that he can't even flirt properly. I don't think Kat deserves to marry someone unless she's his first choice, and obviously, she's second on Tommy's list. So I'm not telling you this to cause trouble, and I'm not telling you this because I want to hurt Katherine. I'll probably have a very similar talk with her when she comes back. It won't be easy for her to lose Tommy to you again, but…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Aisha. You're jumping way ahead of yourself here. You're talking like Tommy and I are going to ride into the sunset together."

"Come on, Kim. You and I both know things are not going to go back to life as usual after all this."

"Why not?"

"They're just not. Tommy's going to look at Katherine differently after she gets back."

"Well I'm going to go back to life as usual. Tommy and Katherine will work out their differences, and I'll go back to Florida, where I won't interfere." Kim said authoritatively.

Aisha engaged in a mock-confrontational stare down with her friend, as though she were waiting for her to change her mind. Her eyes were firmly locked on Kim's, but a broad smile slowly crept onto her face.

"Besides! I have a boyfriend!" Kimberly exclaimed, arguing with the unspoken statements Aisha's eyes were making.

"Oh, whatever," Aisha said, rolling her eyes and looking away.

"What? Don't 'whatever' me! I am dating someone right now!"

"Oh, I don't disbelieve that you're dating someone right now. I would probably disbelieve it if you_ weren't _dating someone. However, you're clearly not super-dedicated to him or your relationship with him."

"What makes you say that?" Kim said indignantly.

"Because he's an afterthought. You didn't even bring him up until now."

Kim paused for a moment to take in Aisha's many arguments. Then she sighed exaggeratedly and flung herself against the back of the chair. Aisha smiled and scrambled back up into the chair.

"Kim, I'll leave it alone. I've said what I need to say. I'm friends with you, I'm friends with Kat, and I'm friends with Tommy. Now I'll just stand back and watch all three of you sort this out."

Kim rolled her eyes and looked at Aisha. "Gee, thanks."

"Yeah, no problem," she said with a giggle. "Seriously, though… I'm here for you, and I'll support you no matter what happens."

"What about when Kat tries to claw my eyes out?"

"I'll break it up. If I can. She's tough."

The girls laughed, and Kim reached for another file. "We need to get back to work."

* * *

Tommy took a deep breath as he tried desperately to regain his composure. He didn't want to yell at Tanya. He knew she was trying to look out for Katherine. But she was really stepping in where she didn't belong, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could be patient about it.

The truck rounded the corner and stopped in front of a moderately-sized ranch style home with a sprawling front yard. Katherine's parents appeared at the front door and made their way out to greet them. Tommy shifted the car into park, then he turned to Tanya.

"Tanya, I'm serious. Butt out now. This is between me and Katherine. And so help me, if you so much as look at Kimberly the wrong way…"

"Hi!" Tanya called loudly towards Mr. and Mrs. Hillard, as her eyes darted away from Tommy's cold glare and a bright smile spread over her face. She reached for the door handle and climbed out, with Tommy close behind.

* * *

Kimberly rubbed her temple gently as she tried to focus on the piles of pages in front of her. "There's got to be something in all these pages that could help us," she said quietly, to no one in particular. She pushed a strand of dark hair away from her face and sighed in unison with Aisha, who was again sprawled on the floor.

"Ladies! Food's here!" Rocky called from the bottom of the stairs.

Kimberly and Aisha locked eyes, then they both shrugged and pulled themselves up on their feet. Kim dropped her file on top of the one Aisha was just looking at, and several papers fell out.

The girls made their way towards the door of the room, when Aisha turned back and glanced at the papers strewn around the floor. "Hey! Look at that," Aisha said, pointing to a picture that had fallen out of Kim's folder and landed on top of a picture from Aisha's folder. The picture on top was of a monster created by Rita. It appeared to be covered in a bronze armor, similar to what the creatures they had taken on earlier were outfitted in. The bottom picture was of one of Lord Zedd's putties.

The two girls observed the pictures juxtaposed on one another. Kimberly smiled, then reached out and snatched up the two pictures. "We might be on to something here," she said. "Let's go show the guys."

* * *

_I really didn't mean to make Tanya a bad guy... But there had to be some conflict somewhere. :-) Anyway, eventually we'll get around to saving Katherine. There's more fun to be had first, though... Thanks for reading!!_

Just a quick update... I'm going out of town until next week. It's probably a good thing, because I've hit some writer's block on chapter 8, so I'll have some time to think it through. However, there won't be updates until the end of next week. I'm sorry!!

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

_Hi all! Sorry for the super-long wait. I was out of town for a while and just haven't had a chance to write again since I got back. I'm also leaving again on Saturday for a while, so I'm going to try to get as much written between now and then as possible. Hopefully you don't lose interest in all the downtime - especially since this isn't a super-suspenseful story. Hope you enjoy!!_

**Chapter 8**

Tommy sighed as he climbed out of his truck in his own driveway shortly after ten. He and Tanya had spent the drive home in uncomfortable silence. Anxious to get inside and collapse on the couch, he charged towards the front door anticipating the large welcoming committee on the other side.

What he found instead was a seemingly empty house. "Hello?" he called, like a stranger in his own home. When he didn't get an answer, he walked towards the kitchen, Tanya following several steps behind.

The only signs of life in the kitchen were several Chinese containers on the counter. Tommy, temporarily forgetting about the absence of his friends, picked up one of the containers and began picking at the food inside.

"Um, I'm going to go see where everyone is," Tanya said, finally breaking the awkward silence. Tommy nodded without looking up.

As Tanya walked away, Tommy caught movement out of the corner of his eye and looked up towards the deck. He spotted Kimberly sitting on the edge of the pool, her feet dangling over the edge like a small child. He set down the food container and headed her way.

* * *

Kimberly swiveled at the sound of the sliding door, and smiled softly when she saw Tommy heading her way. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied, perching himself on the end of a lounge chair close by. "I see you found the liquor cabinet," he said, gesturing towards the cocktail in her right hand.

She smiled apologetically. "Yeah, sorry… It's been a long day."

"Don't apologize. I told you to help yourself." He leaned down on his knees before asking, "So where is everyone?"

"Rocky and Adam left after dinner. Aisha's cleaning up the Command Center files upstairs and waiting for Tanya so they can go back to the hotel. Zack, Jason, Trini and Billy are down in the basement experimenting with the teleportation."

"So what brings you out here?"

"I… had a phone call to make," she said hesitantly, gesturing to her cell phone sitting nearby.

Tommy nodded. "So did you guys find anything?"

"Yeah… well, maybe," she said, setting her drink down and leaning back on her arms. "Those creatures looked like putties… kind of. And we found one of Rita's monsters covered in the same armor. So we sort of know what they are… We just don't know who sent them yet."

"And the weapons?"

She shrugged. "Not a whole lot we can use. I think a sword and a couple of daggers, but, I guess it's better than nothing." She paused and gently shook her hair off her shoulders, a move that made Tommy's heart race. "How are Kat's parents?"

"They're alright. I told them that Kat's fine, and that I've had contact with her, and she'll be home soon."

"Tommy Oliver! You lied to her parents! That's not the Tommy I knew…" she said scoldingly, but with a heart-melting smile that told him she was at least half-kidding.

"It wasn't really a lie! We do know she's okay."

"Contact?"

"Well… visual contact," he said with a crooked smile that admitted he knew he was pushing the boundaries of truth.

"And I suppose that's the only contact you're really concerned with," she said coyly.

He laughed, trying to cool the flame that sparked in his chest as he watched her shapely legs sway slightly, forming delicate ripples in the surface of the pool. The glow in her warm brown eyes instantly eased the tension he held in his neck and shoulders. He was aware that he was staring; he just didn't care.

Kim took another small sip of her drink and thought about what Aisha had said earlier. She and Tommy were definitely conversing like they had back in high school, and to Kimberly it was like easing into an old pair of jeans. She had been so afraid that things with him would be awkward, and now, after less than 24 hours here they were, talking and laughing like old friends.

But was it really friendship? If it was, it was definitely friendship with a side of flirtation.

She turned her attention back to Tommy to find him gazing back at her

She started to speak again, when she spotted her friends making their way back into the kitchen. "Looks like the mini-press conference is about to begin," she said, motioning back towards the kitchen.

Tommy looked over his shoulder, then stood up and offered Kimberly his hand. She reached for it, but paused before allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. "Um, are you aware that Tanya's eyes are burning holes in the back of your head right now?"

"Ask me if I care," he said confidently as he helped her up.

* * *

"Hey, man," Zack greeted Tommy, reaching to smack him five. "Bad news."

"What's that?" Tommy asked as he and Kimberly joined Tanya, Zack and Billy at the kitchen counter.

"Teleportation's not working."

"What happened?" Kimberly asked, suddenly noting the absence of Trini and Jason.

"Trini tried to teleport to the beach. She ended up… somewhere else."

"Where?" Tanya asked, sounding panicked.

Billy and Zack exchanged nervous glances. "We think somewhere in the state park."

"You think?!" Kimberly asked incredulously, trying to control a nervous giggle.

"Well, Trini made her way to the road, and read us the street names. Luckily, the communicators still function. Jason's on his way to pick her up. We didn't want to risk teleporting again. Who knows where she'd end up," Billy explained.

"But she's okay?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, she's alright."

Tommy lowered himself slowly onto a barstool. "So, what you're telling me is we have to go into that dimension tomorrow without morphing or teleportation."

"Affirmative," Billy responded.

Tommy sighed, and Zack clapped him on the back. "It's alright. We'll be fine," he reassured.

Just then, Aisha bounded down the stairs. "Hey guys! Hey Tanya, you ready to go?"

"Yeah, in just a minute." Tanya turned to Billy. "Can we check on Kat one more time?"

"Sure thing," he said, making his way to the study. He clicked some keys on the keyboard, and one of the three monitors that now sat on the crowded desktop flickered to life. "My sensors are much stronger now that we've tapped into the grid," he muttered as his friends gathered behind him.

Soon, the cloudy screen cleared, and a tall, white-clad figure appeared. It became clear that it was Katherine, in her tattered wedding gown. Her blonde hair hung limply around her face, and her dirty face was streaked with tears.

"Other than looking a little… unkempt, it looks like she's alright," Tanya said hopefully, momentarily forgetting about her mission to separate Tommy and Kim.

"She is. And according to my monitors, she's been totally alone since she was placed here."

"That's strange, isn't it, Billy? I mean, usually the baddies are all about tormenting us once we're stuck with them," Aisha pondered.

"Yeah, it is strange. I don't know what the motive is here," he replied.

Kim glanced over at Tommy and noticed that his features had visibly softened. Obviously the sight of Katherine had upset him to some degree, and knowing Tommy, her image would spark the fire inside of him. She was sure he'd now throw himself into the task of her rescue full-force. She fought the urge to reach over and squeeze his hand reassuringly.

Tanya sighed and turned away from the monitor. "Alright, I guess there's nothing else we can do tonight. I'm ready whenever, Aisha."

"I'm so ready, girl. I cannot wait until my head hits the pillow tonight!" Aisha snatched her keys from the kitchen counter and the two girls headed for the front door.

"I'll walk you ladies out," Tommy said, following closely behind him.

* * *

"Sir, is your plan working?"

A tall, light-haired man sighed and turned to speak to the frail creature hunched over a glowing orb. "How many times must I explain the plan to you? Of course it's working. You're monitoring our prisoner, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir, but, well… It's just that…"

"What is it?" the tall man demanded impatiently, and the pale creature caught just a glimpse of a metallic glint from the man's face.

"Well, I just hope this plan works, so we can return to our position of greatness."

"_Our_ position?" he bellowed in response, his voice filling the small damp cave.

"Yes, sir. I know I hold no power myself, but I served your mother, and before that I served her mother and father. I know what it's like to be part of a true evil empire. Your grandparents… They were true evil rulers. It's been so many years since evil has thrived, and I am willing to do anything I can to help us regain our rightful place, but I caution you, my lord… True evil does not run in your veins."

The man paused thoughtfully. He knew exactly what his companion meant. He was spawned from a relationship between his mother, an heiress to the throne of evil and an unsuspecting human man, whom he never knew. Raised in an environment of malevolence, he would never fit in on earth, but his human side and appearance made him an outcast in the evil world. Rightfully, he should be ruling over all beings, human and creature alike. Instead, he was hiding in a musty cave with a single servant.

He knew, though, it was because of his dreaded human side that he was able to develop a plan that would play so viciously on human emotion, and he was confident his plan would thrust them both back into greatness. He stepped into the light cast from the small orb, fully revealing the metal deformation on one side of his face.

"Just keep monitoring her, Finster. It's all part of the plan."

* * *

Kimberly wrapped her oversized sweatshirt around herself and collapsed onto the futon in the guest room. She had originally laid claim to the bed in the same room, but after Trini had returned with Jason damp and covered with mud, Kim felt giving Trini the bed was the least she could do to help the poor girl be more comfortable tonight. She realized that Trini had been in the shower for quite a long time – but she certainly couldn't blame her. She herself probably would have spent the whole night in the shower if she had had to climb the muddy, tree-covered hill in the dark like Trini had.

A soft knock on the door jarred Kimberly from her thoughts. "Come in!" she called, and Tommy peeked his head in the door.

"Hey," he said softly with a gentle smile. "I brought you some extra blankets. It gets cold in here," he said as he set the blankets on the futon, then sat down beside them.

"Thanks. I was already cold," she said, lifting her arms to show off the tattered sweatshirt.

Tommy smiled and looked down, letting yet another awkward moment pass. Then he pulled his eyes up and looked directly at her. "Thanks for being here, Kim."

"You already said that, Tommy. Like a million times," she said, rolling her eyes playfully.

"I know, but it really means a lot to me. Especially since you don't have to be here."

Kim took a deep breath before replying, "Tommy, I know we have a lot of… history."

"That's an understatement," he said, smiling and shaking his head.

"But I'm serious when I say that I want you to be happy, and I'm willing to do anything I can to help you be happy. And if that means rescuing your betrothed so the two of you can ride off into the sunset, well… at least you'll be happy."

Tommy half-smiled and looked down at his hands. "That's really nice of you, Kim, but I have to be entirely honest… If roles were reversed here, I'm not sure I could say the same thing. I mean, if you were getting married and you needed my help to rescue the guy… It would be tough."

It was Kim's turn to laugh. "Shut up, Tommy. You would too help rescue him. You just can't help yourself when it comes to the damsel in distress – even if the 'damsel' is a guy."

"Whatever," he mumbled as he innocently grabbed a pillow from the end of the futon and tossed it in her direction. She swatted it away and giggled playfully.

The bedroom door swung open and Trini entered, wrapped in a big fluffy bathrobe. She spotted the two lovebirds-in-denial instantly, and normally she would have paused to feel awkward. Not tonight. "Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt the party, but I'm wiped, and I'm going to bed. Feel free to finish flirting. Or not. Whatever," she said, flinging her wet hair over her shoulder and collapsing on the bed.

Tommy began to protest, then decided against it. He stood and made his way to the door. "Good night ladies. Let me know if there's anything else you need."

"Goodnight, Tommy," Kimberly said quietly, pulling the covers up around her.

"Goodnight, Tommy," Trini mocked in a saccharine-sweet tone. He pulled the door shut, leaving the two women alone.

Kim looked over at Trini. She badly wanted to stay up and talk like they had when they were younger. She had plenty to dish about tonight. However, Trini looked exhausted, and her eyes pleaded with Kim to let her go to sleep. "Hey, don't take it out on me just because you decided to be the teleportation guinea pig."

Trini rolled her eyes. "I know, seriously. Don't ever let me do that again."

The two girls sat in silence, Kimberly brimming with things to say. Trini watched her friend suffer for a moment, then spoke again.

"Kim, stop."

"Stop what?"

"Pretending like there's nothing going on with you and Tommy. I mean, I know there's probably nothing _actually _going on, but in that mind of yours, there is. And I'm sorry, and I love you, but I'm really too tired to talk about it tonight. I promise, tomorrow you can spill everything you're dying to say. For tonight, just go to sleep still trying to pretend like you're not still in love with him." With that, Trini rolled over and closed her eyes, leaving Kimberly alone with her thoughts and her silent, worthless arguments.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Bright light streamed in between the slats in the blinds the next morning, and after they danced on Kimberly's face for quite some time, she finally began to stir. She awoke slowly from a deep sleep and realized that despite the slight discomfort of the futon, she had slept better there than she had in a long time. It took her a few minutes to orient herself, but as the events of the previous day played through her mind she sat straight up in bed. She was sure Katherine's rescue efforts would pick up first thing this morning, and she hoped she hadn't neglected her duties by sleeping so long.

As she spun to pull herself up, she was greeted with the sight of a pool of dark hair in the bed alongside her. She laughed to herself when she realized she wasn't the only one guilty of sleeping on the job. _Man, Trini must have really been worn out last night. She's usually the first one to rise in the morning,_ she mused, as she stretched her sore muscles and rose to her feet.

Kimberly massaged her shoulder gently as she glided down the stairs, ready to greet the other former rangers who she was sure would already be hard at work. Instead, she was greeted by silence, and upon her arrival in the living room she found Jason and Zack sprawled out on the two couches, fast asleep. She sighed and shook her head as she glanced down at her watch.

_Slackers… Is it seriously almost ten?_

"Good morning."

Kimberly whirled in the direction of the voice and found Tommy sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee. His voice was raspy and his hair was rumpled, and it was clear he hadn't been awake for long. "Good morning… Is everyone really still sleeping?"

"Yep. And I _should_ be sleeping. You want coffee?"

Kim nodded and made her way into the kitchen. "How late were you guys up?" she said, reaching for a mug.

"Well, after you girls went to bed, we felt the need to… reminisce."

"And I'm guessing 'reminiscing' goes hand-in-hand with beer drinking, huh?" she said, gesturing toward the large number of empty bottles on the kitchen counter.

"Yep," he said wryly, taking another sip of his coffee. She joined him at the counter with her freshly-filled mug, and he studied her for a moment before speaking again. "How'd you sleep on that futon?"

"I slept great."

"Yeah? It was comfortable?"

Kim paused as she thought of the cramp in her neck and shoulder. "Um, yeah, it was pretty comfortable."

"Liar," he accused, staring straight ahead. "I don't think anyone's actually slept on it before. I wasn't sure how it would treat you. I should have just given you my bed and slept there myself."

"No, Tommy, really… It was fine. I really did sleep well. I just woke up a little… sore. I just need a good stretch or workout or something."

"Well, you're welcome to use the basement if you'd like."

"The basement?"

"I didn't show you the basement yesterday?"

Kim giggled. "Now there's the Tommy I know. No, you didn't show me the basement. You must have forgotten…" she chided.

"Leave me alone," he said lightheartedly as he climbed off his barstool. "Come here. I'll show you now."

Kim hopped to her feet and followed him, paying attention to his noticeable stagger. "Gosh, Tommy… Are you feeling a bit spongy today?" she teased.

"More than spongy. I'm feeling hungover," he muttered.

She giggled as she paced behind him. "Huh… That means I could probably take you today."

"I am _not_ sparring today."

"Why not?"

He swung the basement door open and swiveled to face her. Then he crossed his arms over his chest, cocked his head slightly and stared at her defiantly without speaking. Kimberly's petite stature left her standing eye-level with Tommy's perfectly chiseled arms and chest, but she met his gaze challengingly. "Afraid you'll lose?"

Tommy sighed and rolled his eyes. "You only want to spar today because my head's pounding and I'm too dizzy to stand up straight."

"Exactly. It'll give me the upper hand."

Tommy stared at her for a moment, holding his posture completely still. Then, without giving any indication of his intentions, he moved swiftly towards Kim's legs. In one smooth move he pulled her off her feet and tossed her over his shoulder effortlessly.

"Hey!" she shrieked as he turned and strutted down the stairs with her in tow. "Not fair! Put me down!"

"You wanted to spar," he said calmly. He reached the bottom stair and rolled the small girl off his shoulder. She landed gently, and within seconds she bounded to her feet and whirled to meet Tommy head-on.

Tommy, however, had other ideas, and he had slumped to a seated position on the bottom stair. He held up one hand in surrender while he used the other to massage his temple. "That's all I got in me today. You win."

Kimberly smiled brightly and sympathetically. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry you don't feel good." She whirled to take in her surroundings. The basement had been decked out like a state-of-the-art workout facility, with several weight training machines, a treadmill, a free weight bench and a punching bag. Her soft landing was thanks to a large, wall-to-wall blue mat that filled half the space. "Wow, Tommy… I'm impressed."

"Well, as I was so nicely offering before you decided you wanted to kick my ass… You're welcome to use the space down here if you want to work out."

"Just as long as _you _don't have to do any working out, right?"

"Exactly. Not today."

"You don't think rescuing your fiancée from an alternate dimension qualifies as a work out?"

"I'm gearing up for that," he said, lowering his head to his hands. A ringing phone interrupted their banter, and Tommy pulled himself to his feet. "I'd better get that." He moved slowly out of sight, leaving Kim by herself.

* * *

Billy sat in the oversized green armchair in the guest room surrounded by blue prints and pages of mathematical calculations. His head was slightly foggy after his late night of drinking; however, he wanted to do everything he could to get the portal-coms up and running. Based on the diagrams and calculations before him, he was fairly certain he would need two circuit boards and a signal amplifier, but he wanted to make sure he wasn't missing anything before he made the trip to the electronics store.

A firm knock on the door startled Billy, and he turned to see Tommy entering the room. "Hey, Billy."

"Hi, Tommy."

"Looks like you're hard at work already."

"Well, yeah… I just want to make sure I know exactly what I need. No surprises, you know."

"Yeah, right. 'No surprises.' I don't think we'll be that lucky." Tommy leaned against the door frame and rubbed his forehead before continuing. "Any idea on a time frame?"

"Well, the store downtown opens at 11, so I'll head down there and pick up those parts. I should be able to get the portal-coms going fairly quickly after that, but I don't know if we want to try setting them up on the beach again, after those creatures we saw there yesterday."

"Yeah, but I have a feeling they were sent by someone. And whoever sent them will probably send them again no matter where we set them up. We'll just have to be ready this time."

Billy nodded. "No problem, Tommy."

"Tanya just called and wanted to know when the four of them should head over. Any ideas?"

Billy shrugged. "We should be ready to go around noon or one, I would guess. We'll see what happens when I go get the parts. I'm sorry I can't be more precise."

"No, Billy, don't worry about it. Hey, I really appreciate your help. We would be lost without you. I know you're doing everything in your power. Just keep me updated." He smiled again, then turned and pulled the door shut behind him.

* * *

Kimberly stood in the center of the broad blue mat in the basement, now decked out in short athletic shorts and a sports bra with her hair in a messy ponytail and her Ipod blaring in her ear. She took a deep breath and raised both of her arms high above her head, and she smiled as she felt her muscles jolt to life. Then she leaned backwards and pointed her arms toward the floor, again letting her muscles stretch from her lower back all the way up through her shoulders and out through her fingertips. She pushed a little further, letting her hands get closer to the ground, then followed the arc of her arms with her whole body and tumbled gracefully to the mat; much like a waterfall before springing quickly back to her feet.

She struck a true Olympic gymnast pose by pushing her hands high into the air and presenting herself proudly to her imaginary audience before she continued her warm-up. She carried on with a routine that she had choreographed for the girls she coached. The routine was slow and calm without much complexity, designed specifically to showcase basic movement and flexibility, and while it was perfect for displaying the essential skills her amateurs had learned, it was hardly a challenge for an athlete of her caliber. It did, however, serve as a perfect warm up, and Kimberly was able to perform the twists and flips with little effort and thought. The instinctive routine allowed her mind to wander, and wander it did, to the most obvious place – Tommy.

She started by thinking about her own relationship with Tommy. It had been so many years ago, but it still made her smile and she glided through the routine just a little lighter on her feet. The memories melted into memories of her breakup with Tommy, though, and guilty feelings raced through her, making her smile fade and her cheeks flush.

Her hands and feet hit the mat harder now as her thoughts drifted away from her actual memories and into imaginings of what Tommy's relationship with Katherine had been like. He pictured the two of them laughing, playing, and flirting. She pictured the two of them walking along the sandy coastline of the lake in Angel Grove. _Our_ _lake_, she fumed. The gentle movement of the routine was slowly morphing into something more intense, as single back handsprings turned into double back tucks. She envisioned Tommy sinking to one knee and presenting Katherine with a gorgeous engagement ring. Katherine would smile and wipe a tear from those beautiful blue eyes as she whispered 'yes,' then Tommy would grin – yes, that gorgeous grin – as he pulled her into his arms.

Kim whipped her sweaty hair around, her smile now completely vanished. She found herself breathing hard standing at one corner of the mat as her mind raced. She pictured this moment between Tommy and Katherine, and fire raced through her veins. Maybe it was resentment, maybe it was jealousy – she wasn't sure, but something sparked inside of her, and she hurled herself at full speed towards the opposite end of the mat. After a few steps, she launched herself into the air and proceeded to flip, turn, and twist, reaching her maximum level of performance. Sharp pain tore through her shoulder as she landed her tumbling run, but she set her jaw and pushed herself upright as she struggled to catch her breath.

A single pair of hands sent applause echoing through the otherwise empty basement, and Kimberly spun to find Tommy himself standing at the bottom of the stairs. He looked on proudly as he clapped, completely unaware of the motivation she'd had for her intense workout.

"That was fantastic," he exclaimed, dropping his hands to his hips.

"Thanks," she said breathlessly, stepping forward and reaching for her bottle of water. "What, uh… What are you doing down here?"

Tommy shrugged casually. "I made my rounds upstairs, and I thought I'd check on you. Besides, it's been a long time since I've watched you practice. I kind of miss it."

Kim forced a smile and wiped her forehead. Her thoughts were running wild now, and she knew she had to work to repress her resentment quickly. "When are we going to get Kat?"

Tommy furrowed his brow as he stared back at her, sensing her changed demeanor. "Um, soon. Billy and Trini are leaving in a few minutes to go get parts for the portal-com." He trailed off, sensing that she wasn't really listening anyway.

She nodded and smiled again, but her smile lacked the warmth and genuineness that he knew and expected of her, and that feeling disturbed him even more than the sight of Kat trapped in another dimension. He locked eyes with her for a moment before gently prodding, "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay," she said quickly, averting her eyes. "I'll be right up, okay?"

"Okay," Tommy said, regressing slowly up the stairs as concern shadowed his face.

* * *

Jason waved from his spot on the front porch as Billy and Trini pulled out of the driveway in Billy's van. Nursing his own hangover, he sunk into a patio chair to enjoy a much-needed moment of silence.

His moment was short-lived, however, as Kimberly burst out onto the porch and sunk into a chair next to him. She didn't speak right away, but her jittery movement spoke louder than her actual voice would have been, and Jason scowled as she quivered beside him.

"What's up?" he muttered.

"What am I doing here?" she replied, still not turning to look at him. "I mean, seriously… What was I thinking?"

Compassion for his close friend won out over his hangover, and Jason's expression melted from a grimace to a sympathetic look as he turned to face Kim. "What's wrong? Did something happen between you and Tommy?"

"Of course nothing happened. Nothing happened because Tommy's practically married. Besides, Tommy and I are over. Like, WAY over. It's been years. We barely know each other anymore. It's probably best if I just go."

Jason smirked a little as he sunk a little deeper in his chair. "Whatever. You're not leaving. I know you better than that."

She sighed as her posture relaxed a little. "I know, I know… I just… I never expected it to be this hard. I mean, I'm glad he's happy…"

"But he's not."

"Yes he is," Kim argued. "He proposed to Kat."

"Not really."

"Huh?"

"From what I understand, they were just talking one day, and Kat said she thought it would be a good idea to get married. So they talked about it some more, then they went and bought a ring together. The rest is history."

Kim's fantasy of Tommy's romantic proposal started to fade, but she shook her head. "Doesn't matter. I came to help get her back so they can get married. I just didn't think it would be so hard to see him again."

"Well, Kim, really… if you want to leave, everyone would understand. Zack and I are going to the hotel in a little bit to pick everyone else up. I could drop you off at the airport then."

She rolled her eyes and faced Jason. "You're only saying that because you know I won't actually leave."

"Yep."

She sighed exasperatedly. "Fine, I'll stay."

"Glad I could convince you," Jason said with a smug grin.

"But once we get Kat back, I've gotta go. It's hard enough to see him again. I don't know if I can watch the two of them together."

"Actually, I have a feeling there will be some trouble in paradise once she gets back. She's going to have a hard time convincing Tommy to go ahead with this whole wedding thing."

"Don't care, Jason. I don't care," she enunciated deliberately, her voice dripping with denial.

Jason grinned again and stared straight ahead. "Okay, Kim, whatever you say."


	10. Chapter 10

_Sorry for the long hiatus! It ended up being much longer than planned. I'm trying to get excited about this story again, but I've had it in my head so long now that it seems old now! If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Thanks for your patience... I hope you're still interested!!_

**Chapter 10**

"So, I would imagine you'll be joining us, huh?" Jason inquired, sounding much more chipper a mere half hour later as he headed down the stairs. He had taken a shower and gotten dressed in a red ringer tee and a pair of jeans, and his hangover was quickly becoming a mere memory. He joined Kimberly, who was slumped on the bottom stair, and Zack, who stood directly across from her, looking bemused.

Kim tilted her head in Jason's direction. "Are you talking to me?"

"Yeah. You just had a meltdown outside. I figured that meant you wouldn't want to stay here while we go."

"Uh… Where are we going?" Zack asked, reminding both of them that he had just rolled off the couch a few minutes before.

"Oh, sorry, bro. I signed us up for equipment and manpower duty."

"Huh?" Zack replied, rubbing his forehead.

"Trini called right after they left and asked us to go out and get some equipment from the sporting goods store… Repelling equipment, to be exact. She said she thought we might need it, Jason answered with a shrug.

"And the manpower?" Kim said.

"Well, I figured we'd just swing by the hotel on our way back and pick up Rocky, Adam, Aisha and Tanya. Save them a trip, you know?"

Kim scoffed at the mention of the last name in his list. "Count me out."

"What are you talking about?"

"You want me to climb into close quarters with someone who hates me and ride around town? She'll probably kill me."

"So, uh… you're gonna stay here alone with Tommy?" Jason asked, raising one eyebrow.

Kim sighed and looked to Zack for support; however, he still seemed confused. "Rock and a hard place, Jase. But I think I'm better off here. I'll just stay out of his way."

"Are you two… fighting?" Zack said, taking a stab in the dark.

"Not fighting… Flirting," Jason said, matter-of-factly, earning him a glare from Kimberly.

"Well, duh…" Zack contributed.

Kim sighed. "Plus, I haven't even showered yet…" she continued, purposely ignoring their insinuations.

"Me neither," Zack replied quickly, finally catching on to the dynamics of the situation between Tommy and Kim.

"But it will take me way longer than you, Zack. You know that. If you waited for me, you'd probably still be here when Billy and Trini get back." Kim watched Zack and Jason exchange amused glances and rolled her eyes. "I'm just going to head out to the beach for a while. Call me when you guys get back," she said, pulling herself up from her seated position.

"You got it," Jason called after her as she headed for the back of the house. Zack shook his head, then took to the stairs.

* * *

Tommy took a long swig from his water bottle and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He was still feeling the effects of his long night of drinking, and he would do about anything to just go back to bed. Thoughts of his bride-to-be trapped with an unknown nemesis kept the adrenaline flowing, though, and those thoughts were only compounded by thoughts of Kim's abrupt departure. He dropped the water bottle back to its spot on the ground and returned his attention to the punching bag immediately to his left.

He became so focused on his workout that he barely heard the basement door swing open. It wasn't until he heard Jason's voice ring out from above that he allowed himself to be ripped from his state of oblivion,

"Tommy? You down here?"

"Uh, yeah, Jase. What's up?"

"We're heading out to get some supplies, and we're going to swing by and pick up everyone from the hotel on the way back."

Tommy nodded. "Sounds great. I'll keep an eye on things here."

Jason did his best to repress a giggle. "Well, speaking of that, we're leaving Kim with you."

A deafening silence echoed from the basement, but Jason remained stationary, waiting for a reaction from his friend. Just as he expected, Tommy's face appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "What? Why? Why isn't she going with you?"

"She seems to think Tanya hates her, and I'm pretty sure she's not wrong. So she's just going to hang here with you, if that's alright."

"Yeah, I mean… If that's what she wants… She can stay, if she wants to."

Amused at Tommy's stammering, Jason turned to leave. "You kids behave yourself."

* * *

Kimberly sprinted down the small hill leading from the back of Tommy's house to the narrow coastline. Her feet stopped as soon as they hit the sand, and she paused to take in the view of the early afternoon sky over the water. The smell of saltwater overtook her, and a meek smile touched her lips as her eyelids drifted closed. _This really is beautiful… _she thought. She pushed her hands high above her head and stretched her arms, then dropped both hands to her hips as she gazed out over the water.

She could have remained in that exact spot forever, soaking in the sights and sounds of the beach. Her hair, damp from the ocean spray, danced haphazardly across her cheeks and she made no move to brush it away. With every crash of the waves she felt the tension in her neck and shoulders loosen just a little, and she was determined to let the waves carry her thoughts of Tommy out to sea.

_Except, the waves are crashing into the shore, dumbass, _she thought, with a sarcastic smile.

Kimberly actively pulled her thoughts away from Tommy, and as she did so, her legs became restless. She turned and headed down the coast at a slow pace as Jake made his way into her mind.

Jake Moreno, Kim's current boyfriend, had been part of her life for a mere four months. He was Tommy's polar opposite, a statement she could easily make about every man she'd dated since leaving Angel Grove. He worked as a department store manager at a major mall in Miami, and Kim had to admit that his affluent lifestyle was easy to get used to. He was "old money," the son of a corporate attorney who made more in a month than Kimberly hoped to make in a year. Jake was also a metro-sexual in every sense of the word, and he often spent more time primping than Kimberly did. She loved slipping into a little black dress and a pair of stilettos to join him for a night on the town, and he had a knack for making Kimberly feel like she didn't have a care in the world. He truly cared for Kim, and she knew he'd be willing to give her anything she ever wanted, but as she stood there in the sand watching the sun reflect off the surface of the water, she thought about the moment Tommy grabbed her that morning. She thought about the butterflies in her stomach as he carried her down the stairs, and the nervously-excited feeling that overtook her as she spun to face him after he'd released her. All the money in the world couldn't buy her that emotion.

The starry-eyed brunette shook her head and burst into a slow jog. All this pondering did her no good. She knew she was dancing around the thought that Tommy was her ideal man, and that ideal was simply unattainable. _If you keep holding everyone up to Tommy, you'll be alone forever…_ she scolded herself. _Be happy for Tommy… and be happy with Jake._ And with that final thought, her jog became a run as she darted further away from Tommy's house and his memories.

* * *

A short time later, Tommy trotted up the stairs and into an empty house. "Kim?" he called out, glancing around briefly before grabbing another bottle of water. He made his way into the living room, then to the base of the stairs. "Kimberly?" His beckon was again met with silence.

_Maybe she changed her mind about staying…_ he thought glumly. He called out one last time, then headed for the shower.

* * *

The light haired man moved through the dank cave purposefully toward his frail servant, taking special care to avoid the occasional beam of daylight breaking in between the rocks. "Finster! How's it coming?"

"My lord, it's as strong as it's going to get, I'm afraid."

The man stopped short when he reached Finster, whose lower body was surrounded by a dark cloud. He winced slightly when lightning illuminated the small room, then nodded at the cloud's creator. "Set it loose."

Finster raised his hand and the cloud followed, seeping out of the cave through the small cracks. The man smiled and nodded, then turned to leave, scooping up the brightly glowing viewing orb as he went.

"Where are you going, my lord?"

"It's time to pay our prisoner a visit."

* * *

The sea had become choppy, and the waves were coming to shore much faster than before. Kim watched as the ominous gray cloud crept over the rough waters, and she suddenly realized she had wandered quite far from Tommy's house. She looked back at the approaching storm and decided to get moving.

As she turned and headed back, she checked her phone. Jason hadn't called yet, and neither had anyone else. _They'd better hurry… Otherwise we'll be setting up Portal-Coms in the rain…_

She cast one last look over the jerky surf, then tossed her wind-blown hair over her shoulder and moved quickly toward impending Tommy-awkwardness.

* * *

Tommy leaned back in the desk chair as he watched Katherine's silhouette move across the computer screen. She still appeared to be okay, but Tommy wanted to make sure she stayed that way. It just seemed so unusual that no one had come near her since she had been abducted. What was even more surprising is that no one had stepped forward to make any demands for her return. He had been expecting to hear from some villain in a raspy voice demanding that they come work for the side of evil, or something of the like, to ensure her safe return.

He studied her image for a few minutes more, before the sound of a slamming door made him jump. He leapt to his feet and turned in the direction of the sound defensively, only to find a semi-disheveled Kimberly darting into his kitchen.

"Oh… Hey, Kim," he said, dropping his arms to his sides. "Sorry… I've been a little jumpy lately."

"Haven't we all," she said, pushing wet strands of hair out of her eyes. "There's a huge storm rolling in."

"Where have you been? I thought you went with the guys."

"No, I, uh… I decided to stay here."

Tommy, sensing that Kimberly had lightened up a little since their last encounter, decided to push the envelope just a little. "Any particular reason?"

Kimberly tilted her head and flashed him a flirty smile. "Because I enjoy your company SO much, I couldn't bear to leave."

"I am pretty irresistible."

She laughed, a sight that never got old for Tommy. "Well, that, and having my eyes clawed out didn't sound like too much fun. Could I have something to drink?"

"Oh, yeah," Tommy said, moving quickly towards the fridge and purposely ignoring her eye-clawing comment. "What would you like? I've got water, juice, soda… Merlot, Captain Morgan…"

"Too early for that nonsense. Water's fine."

Tommy handed her a bottle and motioned for her to join him in the living room. She followed him, but elected to remain standing while he sat. "So really, where have you been?"

"I went out to the beach. I needed to clear my head a bit." She locked eyes with him as she spoke, hoping he would catch her meaning, but if he did, he didn't show it.

Tommy nodded thoughtfully. "So, you said there's a storm rolling in?"

"Yeah, it started to rain just as I made it back – hence, the 'drowned rat' look," she said, pointing to her tousled hair.

"I hadn't noticed," Tommy said with a shrug and a wink.

Kim blushed a little and looked away as she took a short sip of her water. "Did you check on Kat today?"

"Yes," Tommy said resolutely, not dropping his gaze. "She's fine." His voice was pleasant but non-committal and Kim shook her head and laughed to herself.

"You're something else, Tommy Oliver." Tommy threw both of his hands in the air in an exaggerated shrug and smiled. Kim studied him from across the room, trying desperately not to let awkwardness creep in. "Anyway, I'm gonna jump in the shower. Everyone will be back soon."

Tommy nodded wordlessly, and followed her with his eyes as she took to the stairs.

* * *

"This is one of the strangest weather patterns we've ever seen. Rain is coming down heavily in sporadic locations all over the greater Santa Cruz area, but the coastal area is mostly clear, except for one small area. Watch for flash flooding and lightning strikes. This storm came in out of nowhere, without making any appearance on our radar, so it's difficult to know how long it will last. Authorities are recommending that everyone in our broadcasting range stay indoors until the storm passes, due to the unpredictable nature of this weather pattern. For WXML, I'm…"

Jason clicked off the radio and turned his attention back to the window in the small hotel room. The parking lot had at least two inches of water, all of which was trying to flow into an already flooded street. The rain was still coming down pretty heavily, which wasn't helping the situation. He sighed and turned back towards the crowded room.

"We still stranded?" Aisha asked, almost rhetorically.

"Normally these storms are over pretty quickly. They come on strong, but are short. We can probably wait it out," Adam contributed optimistically.

Jason shook his head. "There's nothing 'normal' about this storm. Even the forecasters know that, and they're usually the last to know what's going on with the weather."

Rocky tried to force a laugh in the otherwise tense room, but it didn't seem to lighten the mood. "Has anyone talked to Billy yet?"

"He and Trini are in a pretty similar situation downtown. It's coming down really hard there too. And the icing on the cake is that the storm is somehow interfering with our communicators," Zack said.

"Good thing we all have cell phones," Rocky replied, again trying to stay positive, but Jason shook his head.

"Cell phones only work if the other person answers them – which Tommy and Kim are not."

"What do you mean they're not answering?" Tanya said quickly. From behind her, Zack made nervous eye contact with Jason.

"Well, Tommy's phone is just going straight to voicemail, and I'm getting some interference or something when I dial Kim," Jason responded matter-of-factly.

"I still think it's too dangerous for us to venture out in this," Aisha added, sensing Tanya's next thought. "We can't do anyone any good if we all get into a car wreck." In support of her point, the lights in the hotel room flickered as a large clap of thunder roared outside. "At least we're safe here," she continued, with slightly less confidence than before.

Jason turned back to the window again. "So we wait."

* * *

Tommy turned his attention away from the computer monitor to the large windows at the back of his house. The threatening clouds had moved directly over his house, and rain smacked against the windows violently. Lightning flashed twice in quick succession, followed by the loudest rolling thunder he'd ever heard. He looked back at Kat, a station he'd taken up again as soon as Kim had left the room. "We're coming as soon as we can," he whispered quietly, as if he could hear her.

In response, the display on the monitor dimmed with a sharp buzz, and Tommy looked around to see that the lights around him had followed suit. "Uh oh," he muttered, as the electricity flickered and died with another flash of lightning.

Darkness filled his home, and Tommy moved slowly and calmly through the blackness towards the pantry for a flashlight – slow and calm, that is, until Kimberly's sharp shriek rang out from upstairs.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Kim was fumbling with the faucet control when a loud knock and Tommy's voice rang out from the other side of the door. "Kim? You okay?"

She paused, suddenly feeling foolish for screaming like a little girl. "Yeah, Tommy, I'm alright. The lights going out just startled me.

There was silence for a moment as Tommy tried to catch his breath from taking the stairs two at a time. "I have a flashlight. Can I come in?"

She froze, realizing that she was dripping wet and completely naked. "Um, hang on a minute," she replied, reaching blindly from behind the shower curtain for the robe she knew she'd brought in with her. "Hang on…" she called again, her fingers finally making contact with the silky material.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Tommy felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment. _Did I really just ask if I could come in?_ He became even more horrified when he realized that, in a moment, he actually _would_ be walking in.

"Alright, come on in."

_Pull it together, Tommy… _he scolded himself as he reached for the doorknob.

A bright white light blinded Kim as she attempted to climb out of the tub, her robe clutched tightly around her. Tommy reached forward and offered her his arm, which she happily accepted. "You sure you're okay? You screamed pretty loud."

Kim laughed as she followed him out of the bathroom. "Oh, you know me, Tommy. Always a flair for the dramatic."

Tommy laughed and turned towards the guest room where Kim was staying. "Do you want to grab, um… anything?"

"Like clothing? Yes, I'd love clothing."

Tommy blushed again and swept the flashlight's wide beam into the room. Kimberly went straight to work digging through her bag, paying careful attention to the position of her short, summery robe. "Uh, I'll just leave the light with you and wait out here," Tommy said awkwardly, setting the flashlight down and stepping into the hallway. Kim smiled gratefully as she pulled on a t-shirt and pajama shorts.

After Kimberly was fully clad, she and Tommy made their way back downstairs. The house was pitch black, and outside it looked like the midnight sky instead of midafternoon. Rain was beating down relentlessly and violently, and the thunder had continued to roll. "You weren't kidding when you said a storm was coming in," Tommy said, motioning for Kim to sit on the couch. He set the flashlight down on the table beside her. "I'm going to head downstairs and check the circuit breaker. Maybe I can get the lights back on."

"Without the flashlight?"

"There's another one in the kitchen. I don't want you stuck up here without one. You okay here by yourself?"

"Yes, I promise, no screaming."

Tommy laughed. "Well, really… If you need me, feel free. It seems to be the best way to get my attention." He began to retreat into the blackness of the kitchen when Kim called after him.

"Hey, what about everyone else?"

"I haven't heard from anyone. My guess is they're stranded by the storm too."

"I hate to even ask, but… What about Kat?"

Tommy sighed. "Well, the last time I saw her on the monitor, she was alright. I don't think there's anything we can do right now. Even if everyone made their way back here – which, from the looks of it, would be extremely dangerous – we wouldn't be able to set up the Portal-Coms out there anyway." He paused for a response from Kim, but when he didn't get one, he continued. "Looks like we'll have to wait out the storm."

"Looks like it," Kim replied absently as she watched Tommy vanish. She sat for a few moments in contemplative silence, letting the day's events replay in her mind. She wanted to think of a way to get to Katherine quickly; however, the inspiration just wasn't coming to her today. She yawned as she reached for her phone, which she'd managed to grab from her room, and dialed Jason.

"_We're sorry, the network you're trying to access is currently unavailable. Please try again later."_

Kim rolled her eyes. _You've got to be kidding me._ She tried dialing Trini and got the same response. _So cell service is down, too…_ _Must be one hell of a storm._ She tossed her phone down beside her and settled back into the sofa. Jet lag was finally catching up with her, and she found her eyelids feeling extremely heavy. She'd been surviving on adrenaline since the moment she'd landed in California, and now without it she felt ready to crash. She leaned her head against the back of the couch and began her patient wait for Tommy's return.

* * *

"No luck with the circuit breaker," Tommy announced as he reappeared at the top of the stairs. "Guess we're stuck…" his voice trailed off as he spotted Kimberly. She was in almost the exact same position as she'd been when he left her, but her eyes were closed and she was clearly in a deep slumber. He smiled sweetly as he approached her, and he reached out to brush away a small strand of hair that had fallen across her forehead.

He reached for a blanket draped over the back of the couch and spread it gently over her. "Looks like a great idea, Beautiful." Then, without thinking twice, he leaned over and placed a tender kiss on the top of her head.

Having been desperate for this opportunity all day, Tommy quickly retreated to an oversized armchair and made himself comfortable. After switching off both flashlights, he sighed contently and let his eyelids fall closed.

* * *

A deafening clap of thunder woke Kimberly with a start. She shot straight up in the darkness with a loud gasp and fought against her own disorientation. After a few moments, she remembered the power outage, but she couldn't remember falling asleep. If she hadn't known better she would have thought she'd been kidnapped, but her cozy surroundings told her otherwise. She poked around until she felt the back of the flashlight, then used it to illuminate her surroundings.

She instantly spotted Tommy, fast asleep across the room from her, and stifled a giggle. He looked so awkward, his tall stature curled up in the armchair, and yet he was clearly comfortable enough to be fast asleep. As quietly as she could, Kimberly stood and stole away to the kitchen, flashlight in one hand and cell phone in the other,

Once she was far enough away from the living room to avoid disturbing Tommy, she flipped her phone open. The light from the screen glowed in a sharp contrast to the surrounding darkness, and Kimberly was floored as soon as the display became visible.

_7:38?! How did it get to be that late?_ She didn't know exactly what time it had been when she had fallen asleep, but her guess was about 3:00. _There's no way I've been asleep for over four hours!!_

She sighed as she futilely dialed Jason again. Her attempts were met with another frustrating message from the eerily mechanical voice from the phone company, and she flipped her phone shut discouragingly.

Wrapping her arms around herself tightly, she strutted slowly over to the sliding glass doors and peered out towards the beach. The rain continued its relentless attack on the coastline and Tommy's house, and it was clear that it had not let up in the hours she'd spent asleep. The pool had long since overflowed, and water was bubbling angrily over onto the pool deck. The only light she could make out was in the brief flashes of lightning, and despite her best efforts, she couldn't make out a hint of a break in the thick ceiling of clouds.

"Kim? Kim!" Tommy's panicky voice broke her hypnosis, and she spun on her heel and headed quickly back to the living room.

"I'm right here, Tommy," she said, sweeping quickly back into the room. She stopped and laughed a little as she watched Tommy uncurling from his uncomfortable position. "Hey, why didn't you just sleep on the other couch?"

Tommy paused contemplatively. Honestly, the thought hadn't even occurred to him, and he found himself wondering why not. "I don't know," he responded with a sheepish shrug. As Kimberly collapsed back into her spot on the couch, though, he realized what had been going through his head – his current position was directly across from her, where he could watch her sleep. He wasn't sure if his intentions had been protective or more selfish in nature, but either way, the last thing he'd seen before he drifted off was her. He smiled as he shivered and changed the subject. "Man, is it freezing in here?"

Kim nodded. "Yeah. I never would have slept for so long if you wouldn't have covered me up," she said, pulling the blanket back around herself.

Tommy frowned. "So long? What time is it?" he asked groggily.

"You'll freak out if I tell you."

"Try me."

"Almost eight."

"What?!"

"I told you!"

"I'm not freaking out. I'm just… surprised."

"You should be freaking out. _I'm_ freaking out."

Tommy rolled his eyes and switched subjects again. "Is it still raining?"

"Yeah, like crazy. I don't think it's stopped at all."

"Still no lights?"

"Still no lights."

He sighed and rubbed his forehead defeatedly. "Any word from Jase or anyone else?"

"Cell phones are out."

"Fantastic."

The two sat in heavy silence, the eerie light from the single flashlight casting dark shadows over both of them. Tommy leaned down on both his knees, studying his hands as though they held the answers to his many dilemmas. Meanwhile, Kimberly studied him with equal conviction. He was cycling quickly between confidence and defeat, and the inconsistency in his demeanor had Kimberly feeling bewildered.

After a few more moments, Tommy pulled himself up from the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Seriously, I'm freezing."

"Yeah, me too," Kim responded, barely moving to meet his gaze.

"How about a fire?" he asked, motioning towards the fireplace.

Kim smiled pleasantly. "Sounds great!"

* * *

As the fire began to glow warmly, Tommy pulled himself off his hands and knees and spun to face Kim. She appeared to be entranced, her eyes fixated on the flickering flames. He brushed his hands off on his jeans and joined her on the couch. "You alright?"

She turned to face him, sweeping her gently tousled hair over her shoulder. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just… I hope everyone's okay," she said quietly.

Tommy found himself transfixed with the glow of the fire reflecting in her dark eyes, and he had to make a conscious effort to respond. "I'm sure they're all okay. They probably all decided to stay put, just like us."

The former sweethearts sat silently for a moment, and for the first time that day, Kimberly felt dreaded awkwardness creeping in. Tommy sensed it too, and scrambled for something to say or do. Finally, he cleared his throat and asked, "There's wine… I mean, would you like a glass?"

Kim looked at him questioningly with a half-smile. "You think that's a good idea?"?

Tommy shrugged. "I don't think we're going anywhere tonight."

Kimberly broke into a full, warm smile. "Well, in that case, I'd love some."

* * *

_Author's Note: Yeah, okay, Tommy... Wine will definitely make things less awkward. ;-)_

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

_Whew! So this chapter took forever to write... Probably because it's one of the key moments of the story that I've been envisioning since the beginning. It's also very heavy on the dialogue. I hope it's not strenuous to read all of it, because there's some very important things happening here! Enjoy!!_

**Chapter 12**

Tommy returned from the kitchen quickly, two glasses of Merlot in hand, to find Kimberly still staring hypnotically into the fire.

"Penny for your thoughts."

Kim turned towards him and smiled as she accepted her glass of wine. "Thanks," she said, studying him closely as he lowered himself to the couch alongside her. "I was just thinking about how weird this all is."

Tommy laughed. "You're telling me."

"I mean, three days ago I was planning on being on a cruise ship with Jake headed for the Bahamas right now. I never would have dreamed that I'd be trapped in a thunderstorm in California" She took a sip of her wine and looked at him pointedly. "Especially not with one Mr. Tommy Oliver."

"That's _Doctor_ Tommy Oliver," he said playfully with a wink.

"Huh?"

"I got my doctorate last year, in Paleontology. I've been working as a professor at the University of California."

"Are you serious? Tommy, that's huge! Congratulations!"

He blushed and returned his attention to his wine glass. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Sure it is!" she responded enthusiastically, before her face fell. "I can't believe I didn't know that."

Tommy shrugged casually. "I wouldn't have expected you to know. It's been years since we've talked."

"That's exactly the problem. There's no good reason for us to have fallen out of touch. We were really good friends."

"Like brother and sister, right?" Despite the fact that his feelings had long recovered from Kim's brutal letter, he couldn't resist this jab, a reference to that dreaded piece of correspondence. The moment the words were past his lips, though, he regretted them, and he wished he could grab the words from midair and shove them back in. Kimberly's cheeks flushed bright red as she averted her eyes, immediately catching his point, and Tommy sighed, still regretting his hurtful words. "I'm sorry about that, Kim. And I'm sorry I ruined your plans."

She shook her head as she took several sips of her wine in quick succession. "No, Tommy, that's not what I meant. In fact, I think I'd rather be here." She drifted off in thought for a moment, dodging the reference to her breakup letter completely, before continuing. "I just feel bad that you're stuck here with me rather than enjoying your honeymoon with Kat. And I especially feel bad that things are weird between us."

"I don't things are weird between us. I mean, they shouldn't be," he said reassuringly. Kimberly smiled and took another long sip, but when she didn't respond, Tommy continued nervously. "Kim, what we had was a long time ago, and I'm really sorry if I've made you feel uncomfortable at all since you've been here. We've both moved on, so there's no reason that we can't be friends."

"Thanks, Tommy," she muttered softly. "I do miss talking to you."

"Same here." His smile brightened the mood instantly, and Kimberly felt a wave of relief rush over her. "More wine?" he asked, motioning toward her empty glass.

* * *

Tommy returned quickly, both glasses still empty and the bottle in hand. "I figured I'd save us the trek," he said, setting the bottle down on the table, then using it to fill both glasses. Kim smiled and thanked him as he offered her her glass, then settled back in on the couch. "So, who's Jake?"

Her smile faded, and she locked eyes with him. "Tommy, I…"

"Friends," he enunciated with a grin. "Friends talk about these things."

She rolled her eyes cutely. "Fine. Jake is the guy I'm seeing right now."

"What's he do?"

"He's a department store manager. He runs Macy's at the mall."

Tommy bust out in a deep chuckle. "Are you serious?"

"What's so funny?"

"Kimberly Hart… Dating someone who runs a store at the mall… How fitting!" He continued to laugh while shaking his head.

Kim joined him in laughter as she realized the irony of the situation. As a teenager, the mall was like her home away from home. She laughed even harder when she realized she'd barely set foot in the mall where Jake worked. "Life is funny, huh?" she said as her hysterical laughter subsided.

"Yeah, it sure is." Tommy paused briefly before continuing. "So, how long you guys been together?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "A few months."

Tommy wasn't sure why, but her casual mannerisms sent a warm feeling through his chest. "Is he good to you?" His voice had dropped to a serious tone, and he made piercing eye contact with her as he made his inquiry.

A smile crept unconsciously across her face. It was comforting to know some things never changed, like Tommy's protective instincts. "Yeah, he is…"

"I sense a 'but' there," he replied, concernedly.

"No, not really. I mean, he is good to me. In fact, he's really good to me."

"So what's the problem?"

"How do you know there is one?" Tommy did not reply, but instead shot her a look that spoke much louder than words could have, and she sighed, knowing there was no way she was getting out of this one. "There's nothing wrong with him. He's just not… not…" Kim sighed, at a loss for words. She took another sip of wine, then glanced at Tommy, whose eyes were pressing her to continue. "Okay, I mean… I've been here for two days already, and I haven't even been able to get a hold of him. He doesn't even know I'm here."

"You mean… You've been gone for two days and he doesn't know where you are?" Tommy asked, incredulously. "And he hasn't been trying to get a hold of you?" She shook her head.

"Nah, and I mean, he probably won't… He'll just wait until I show up again, then he'll take me out somewhere and we'll have a great time…"

"But that's all that's there?" Tommy asked. "I mean, he's not worried about you? He doesn't even know that you're okay?"

She shrugged casually again, and Tommy felt anger bubbling up in his chest. "Kim, that's ludicrous. You deserve better. _Way_ better."

"Maybe he's just not the overprotective type," she said, swatting at his chest playfully.

"That's not being overprotective. That's just being part of a caring relationship. And I actually wish I felt like I was arguing with you, but to be honest, I get the sense you're not super-attached to this douche bag anyway."

"Tommy!" Kim chided, stifling a giggle. "Okay, well, you're right. He's definitely not my soul mate. But, we're having a good time." She tried to soothe Tommy's ruffled feathers with her words, but he continued to stare at her acutely.

"I'm just looking out for you, Kim."

"I know you are," she replied genuinely. Another long sip, then she continued. "Am I really sitting in the dark taking relationship advice from my ex-boyfriend?"

"It appears that you are."

Kimberly smiled and took a moment to take in her surroundings. Tommy's frame was warmly outlined beside her with the glow from the fire, and with every flicker she caught the glimmer from his eyes. She was fairly sure that the physical space between them had shrunk in the time they'd been sitting there, but she wasn't sure who had been inching closer to the other. It didn't really matter, though, because despite the vicious storm beating down around them, Kimberly had to admit that it had been a long time since she'd felt so safe.

"So, Tommy Oliver… A doctor. A scientist, no less," she said with a small giggle.

"Why's that so funny?" he asked, more playfully than seriously.

"Well, if memory serves me, you barely passed sophomore Bio."

Without missing a beat, Tommy responded, "That's because I was too busy checking out my lab partner."

"Oh, shush, you were not."

"You're right. To even lay my eyes on you, I would have had to get past Skull. He used to undress you with his eyes so badly, I think it even made Ms. Applebee uncomfortable."

"Tommy!" she yelped, swatting at him teasingly. "That's gross."

"Gross, yes, but also true. And I almost lost you to him once, remember?"

Kim sighed and rolled her eyes as she smiled. "Yes, I remember."

"Ooooohhh, Skuuuuuulll…" Tommy mocked in a high-pitched voice, earning him another gentle slap.

"Shut up, Tommy!" she pleaded, still laughing. "Besides, it's not like you never fell prey to one of Rita's crazy spell. Allow me to remind you of the time you tried to kill us!" she declared, proudly laying her trump card.

"Yeah, but nothing that made me love anyone but you."

Tommy's use of the "L-word" made Kim's heart skip a beat and her voice catch in her throat, and the comeback she'd been ready to spit out dissolved on her tongue. Her mind scrambled to fill the silent void that was creeping into the room.

"Yeah, well… I still think trying to kill us tops some harmless flirtation with Skull," she stuttered, feeling redness creep into her cheeks yet again. "Besides, Skull was a sweet guy. Misunderstood, that's all."

Tommy watched as the last drops from Kimberly's wine glass brushed past her lips. There was something seductive about it, and he couldn't help feeling drawn to her. It was a strange feeling, one he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he felt a deep sense of familiarity in this emotion, and he wanted nothing more to carry on with this playful bantering as long as he could.

He reached for her glass to refill it, inadvertently brushing his fingertips against hers. The contact shot a jolt of electricity up his arm, and from the look on Kim's face, he thought there was a chance she felt it too. He pulled away and smiled meekly as he reached for the bottle, only to find it empty.

"Um, I have a question," Tommy finally said. "But I'm definitely going to need more wine to ask it, so I'll be right back."

"What, you have more, just sitting around?"

He laughed as he headed for the kitchen. "You have no idea how many people give wine and wine glasses as wedding gifts."

Kimberly made a conscious effort not to spit out her last swig of wine left in her glass. "I'm drinking a wedding gift to you and Kat?!"

"Yeah, but that's alright. Kat's not much of a wine drinker."

"Great," Kim muttered as he disappeared. She was still feeling that familiar burn in her cheeks, and she wasn't sure if it was Tommy or the wine causing it. She suddenly felt quite guilty for having such an intimate conversation with someone else's almost-husband. Her mind screamed at her, telling her that they were just having innocent, friendly conversation, but her heart knew otherwise. She tried to tell herself that she and Tommy were just rekindling their friendship, but anyone who had known her and Tommy knew they spent very little time as friends before becoming a couple, and it was certainly a fine line to walk.

Tommy returned quickly with a smile and another bottle of wine. She stared at him trepidatiously as he poured her another glass. "Tommy, are you sure…"

"Yes, Kim. There's at least two more bottles in there, and you're welcome to every last drop of it."

She smiled graciously as she accepted her glass, and Tommy headed over to the fireplace to prod the fire, which was slowly tapering. "You had a question?"

He dropped the fire poker and turned to meet her gaze. His expression was gentle but serious, and Kimberly suddenly regretted reminding him, as she realized his inquiry was more significant than their previous, lighthearted chitchat. His stare made her heart rate increase slightly, and when his words finally came, they were less of a question than a simple phrase. "The letter…"

"Hmmph," Kim exhaled loudly as she took her turn studying her hands. "You're right… We did need more wine."

"I don't want to upset you, or make you uncomfortable… I've just always wondered what happened to us."

"And you deserve to know, Tommy. If there's anything I regret, it's never giving you that answer."

"So give it to me now, Kim." His voice was becoming slightly more urgent and demanding, and Kim made a mental note to tread lightly to avoid upsetting him.

Tommy, however, wasn't feeling angry or upset. He was simply feeling impatient, having waited to hear this explanation for years, and despite his slightly more assertive tone, his eyes coaxed her to continue.

Kim took a deep breath. "I really did meet someone."

"Okay…"

"And I really was happy."

"Okay…"

"But I wasn't as happy as I was with you."

Her quiet admission sent Tommy's head spinning again, and after a brief pause, he pressed for more. "Then… why?"

She sighed and shrugged helplessly. "To tell you the truth, now, Tommy… I have no idea. I mean, it seemed like the right thing at the time, but there's a lot of things I look back on now that just seem… stupid."

Tommy laughed, but his laughter was edged with anxiety, and he shook his head and looked up at the ceiling, waiting for her to continue.

"I was out of place. I didn't fit in. Florida was a whole different world… and for the first time in my life, I didn't fit in."

"I find _that _hard to believe," Tommy responded gently, recalling her bubbly personality and tremendous popularity from high school.

"Well, it's true." Her voice was getting just a little shaky, but she was holding together well. "Anyway, I eventually met some friends, and they reminded me so much of all of you. It was like being back with the whole gang again. And one of them – Matt, was his name – reminded me so much of you." She paused, waiting for Tommy to react, but when he didn't, she continued. "Anyway, he asked me out a couple of times, and I kept turning him down… But in the meantime, I was talking to you less and less, and you seemed so happy with your life here… with Kat…"

"Kim, I want you to know that _nothing_ happened between Kat and I until after you and I broke up. I was _never_ unfaithful to you."

"And I was always faithful to you!" she claimed defensively, feeling her pulse race a little faster. "But, it just got harder and harder to defend having a relationship with someone on the other side of the country who could – obviously – be happy with someone else, while I had a perfectly great guy right there in front of me. A guy that was so much like you." She shook her head frantically, and Tommy subconsciously reached out to grab her hand, hoping to calm her. It worked.

"Kim, I – "

"Tommy, I know it sounds stupid. I think it sounds _really_ stupid, and to be entirely honest, I wake up most days regretting ever having sent that letter. At the time, it made so much sense, but…" she trailed off, biting her lower lip to keep from crying. Tommy gave her hand a squeeze and decided to let the topic drop.

"Hey, can I tell you something?"

Kim turned to face him, her eyes bright with potential tears. She nodded quietly, not wanting Tommy to hear her quaking voice.

"When you walked in yesterday, I had a total déjà vu moment. Remember when Rita kidnapped everyone's parents, and you guys teleported me in? I saw you for the first time in months, and that's exactly how I felt yesterday."

Kim laughed. "God, I hope I looked better yesterday than I did on Parent's Day. I was a wreck that day!"

Tommy shook his head. "I didn't notice. I was just excited to see all of you – but especially you – again." He smiled as he reminisced and sipped his wine. "That whole day is a complete blur, anyway."

"Yeah, seriously. I was so stressed out… first about my parents seeing each other, then about my parents being kidnapped…"

"Ha! I got that beat. I went through seeing you again, then getting my powers back, then battling Goldar, passing out, waking up again… And to top all that off, then we were whisked back to the Youth Center where you spontaneously pulled me over to meet your parents!"

"Oh, come on… You did great."

Tommy was relieved to see her spirits lifting, and he laughed as he continued. "And holy crap, do you remember the food fight our _parents_ started?"

* * *

Kimberly's eyes had again welled up with tears, but this time, they were tears of laughter. She had no idea how much time had passed, but her and Tommy had spent all of that time recollecting every hilarious moment of their high school life together. The cloudy mood that had hung over the two earlier in the evening had lifted completely, and they now sat comfortably together, basking in nostalgia like old friends.

Tommy shared Kim's sentiments. It felt so good to be at ease with Kimberly again, and reliving all of these memories reminded Tommy of a time in his life when he was truly happy. "I think the worst monster, as far as being obnoxious, was the Hate Master. He was horrible!"

"Omigod, I remember that! That was right before Kat showed up!"

The words were past Kim's lips before she realized that she'd treaded into the territory she'd been trying to avoid. The wine was certainly starting to take effect, as her cheeks were on fire and she could sense her personal filter was slowly dissolving. She waited for Tommy to respond, but when he didn't, she boldly proceeded. "Tell me about you and Kat."

He shrugged casually in reply, the modest grin that had been on his face for the last hour not fading. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, you're almost married to the girl. There must be something to tell."

He shrugged. "I mean, I guess…" He trailed off, hoping for a more specific prompt.

"Did you guys get together right after… you know… you and I…" Kimberly suddenly found it rather difficult to finish that sentence.

Tommy nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, pretty close… I guess she was kind of my rebound girl." The tone of his voice hinted that his statement was supposed to be a joke, but neither of them laughed.

"Wow… So, you guys have been together for… almost ten years now? And you're just now getting married? I always knew you ran late, Tommy, but geez…" she said with a giggle.

"Well, we haven't been together the _whole _ ten years. We broke up when she left for London, right after high school. When she came back to the states, she wanted to move somewhere close by. I was living in Stone Canyon, working for my uncle at the time, so she got an apartment in town, and we got back together… sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Yeah, well… We spent a lot of time together… I don't know when we really started dating again. We've been kind of off and on since then."

Kimberly paused long enough to pour each of them another glass of liquid courage. Tommy's words had just confirmed Aisha's claims from the previous day. She wondered if all of Tommy and Kat's 'off' times had anything to do with her. "So, how long were you two 'on' before you decided to pop the question?"

He laughed. "You mean, how long before we decided to get married?" Kim stared at him questioningly, the wine erasing the memory of what Jason had told her that morning. "I didn't really propose – I mean, not in the traditional sense. We were just talking one day, and we realized how long we'd been together, and decided that since we'd been committed to each other for so long that it just made sense to get married."

"Made sense," Kimberly echoed, a smirky smile creeping across her lips. She contemplated everything he'd said for just a moment before she proceeded cautiously. "But, you just said that you were off and on."

"Yep," he responded, sensing where she was heading.

"So… You really hadn't been committed to each other for that long. At least, not all at once." Kimberly really hadn't meant to undermine Tommy and Kat's relationship, and she felt guilty as soon as she realized how judgmental she'd just sounded. However, the fact that Tommy didn't argue with her didn't slip past her attention. He just confirmed her observations with a simple nod. She returned her attention to her wine and spoke again without making eye contact.

"Does she make you happy?"

He hesitated for a moment, another fact that didn't slip past Kim. "Yes. Yes, she does," he responded curtly.

"_Really_ happy?"

"Happy enough."

"Ouch." Kim winced, thinking about how Kat would feel if she knew she only made Tommy 'happy enough.'

Tommy took a deep breath, pondering whether it was a good idea to make his next statement. The two of them had broken down so much of the barrier between them that night, though, that he felt he simply couldn't _not_ say what he was thinking.

"The truth is, Kim…" He turned to look at her directly before continuing. "The truth is, what I've realized, sitting here tonight, that the last time I was really happy, _truly_ happy, was the last moment I spent with you."

Kimberly froze, not sure how to react. The two of them had been dancing around each other all night, and Tommy had just called the dancing to a halt in favor of a confrontation. Part of her wanted to run – a _big_ part of her – and not look back. Her stomach had dropped to her knees, or possibly leapt into her throat – she wasn't sure which analogy fit what she was feeling best. And suddenly, the part of her that wanted to wrap her arms around him started rapidly expanding.

So she did the only thing she knew to do. She ran – but not far.

"Um, more wine," she stammered, reaching for the bottle which had been empty for quite some time. "I'll be right back." She retreated to the still-dark kitchen quickly, working hard to fight against the wine's influence on her gait.

She made it several steps into the black room before realizing how stupid this move truly had been. First of all, she hadn't brought a flashlight, and secondly, she had no idea where Tommy kept the wine. So she stood in the dark for a moment, clambering to collect her thoughts, before she heard Tommy's voice.

"Kim?"

She swiveled on her heel to find him directly behind her. She gasped as she stumbled, and Tommy caught her firmly by both arms.

"You forgot the flashlight."

"Yeah, I know."

"Kim?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"No, no, Tommy, don't be… It just caught me off guard. We're just being honest with each other."

She realized that he was still holding on to her, and she had no intention of pulling away.

Tommy's hand slipped slowly down her arm until he found her hand with his. He could practically hear his own heart beating, echoing in the dark room.

And there, in that empty room, before either of them knew what was happening, their lips were pressed gently together and neither one of them was running away.

* * *

_More fun to come!!_

_Also, I've decided to take the story in a slightly different direction. I began this story thinking it would just be a fluffy Tommy-Kim reunion story. However, I've realized that if I don't take it a little further, I'll leave some loose ends. So the story's going to go a bit further, and become a little more saga-like. I hope I can keep you on board, and thanks for all the reviews!!_


	13. Chapter 13

_Warning - Adult Content... (In case you didn't see it coming.)_

**Chapter 13**

Had anyone been watching Tommy and Kimberly at that precise moment, they would have made two significant observations. First, it was difficult to pinpoint who had initiated the kiss, as the two former lovers had leaned in towards each other at the same time, like they had done so many times in the past. Secondly, their kiss was brief, gentle, and innocent. Their lips brushed only briefly, Tommy's left hand firmly planted on Kim's upper arm and his right gently holding her hand.

As the two pulled away from each other slightly, Kim could hear Tommy's heavy breathing, but it was nearly droned out by the sound of her own heart beating. Neither of them spoke, leaving heavy silence to hang in the air.

And if their first kiss was innocent, their second was certainly not.

Kim reached for him hastily, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling herself closer. He responded by wrapping his arms tightly around her small waist and hoisting her upward so that only the very tips of her toes were still making contact with the ground, allowing her to press her lips to his in a passionate display of affection. Her lips separated slightly, allowing Tommy to run his tongue along her lower lip, and Kimberly let loose a blissful sigh. Tommy moved one hand up to cup Kimberly's jaw firmly, holding her lips to his so he could explore her mouth more thoroughly.

Kimberly, meanwhile, relaxed her grip on Tommy's neck and used her hands to explore his back and chest. Her fingers traced every muscular curve and emblazoned the image of his body in her mind, and she found herself becoming more and more aroused as he continued to use his lips to tease her.

Tommy now turned his attention from her mouth to her neck. Her breath was coming in short gasps now, and she tilted her head back, giving him access to a smooth expanse of skin from her t-shirt's neckline to her jaw line. As he covered her in sweet kisses he slid his hand along her chin to her soft wavy hair and inhaled her sweet-smelling scent. His fingers in her hair sent chills down her spine, eliciting another soft moan from his beloved.

He dragged his head away from her reluctantly and released his grip on her waist, allowing her to stand with her feet firmly planted on the floor. Kim, however, found her legs a bit unsteady and kept her hands firmly planted on his chest. Tommy reached down and took both of her hands as he whispered, "Come on."

She could hear the mischievous smile in his voice without seeing his face, and she allowed herself to be led away by this man who still made her knees quake. The two stumbled over each other and various obstacles in the dark kitchen, trying to make their way out, and Tommy grew a bit impatient with trying to navigate. With the doorway in sight, he wrapped his arms around the petite woman again and swept her literally off her feet. She shrieked flirtatiously as she wrapped her legs and arms around him, and he made his way back to the living room, his forehead pressed to hers.

Once the two were back in the living room bathed in the soft glow of the fire, Tommy descended backwards onto the couch with Kimberly in his lap. During their trek from the kitchen the two had been giggly and light-hearted; but now Tommy made smoldering eye contact with the beautiful woman on his lap. The mood fell serious as the two laid eyes on each other for the first time since their intimate encounter, and the gravity of what had just happened between them had only begun to strike them.

"Tommy…" she whispered in a velvety tone that made his heart race and his pants tighten.

"Shh…" he replied, pressing his fingers to her lips and following them closely behind with his own lips. He kissed her firmly and passionately, taking his time to enjoy her soft kisses and delicate touches. Kim was now positioned in a full straddle, and despite their close proximity, she longed to be closer to him. She shifted in his lap, which she found rather lumpy, and the movement caused Tommy to moan longingly.

She broke their liplock and leaned back again, shaking her hair off her shoulders and breaking into a wide smile. "Something wrong?"

A small smile touched his lips as he gazed back at her, struggling with self-control as she rocked against his lap again. "Nothing's wrong, Beautiful. Nothing at all."

Kimberly pushed forward again and engaged Tommy in another passionate kiss. He pushed his hands through her hair again and cradled the back of her head, holding her in a fiery embrace. He then slowly let one hand fall and caress her neck, shoulder and arm, eventually meandering down to the side of her breast.

She moaned against his mouth and intensified their kissing as she reached for his renegade hand with hers. Kimberly did not pull his away, but guided his hand toward the center of her breast, causing Tommy's heart to race. He wasn't sure how much longer his restraint would last His free hand traveled lower, to the hem of her t-shirt, and Kim pulled her lips from his, anticipating his next move.

And then, on the verge of crossing yet another line with Kimberly that he so desperately longed to cross, the enormity of what they'd done struck him, and he halted with a sigh.

"Kim… Kim, we can't do this."

He had expected some sort of reaction from her, but instead, she simply nodded in understanding. Her eyes darted away from his as she spoke softly. "I know, Tommy."

"Not that I don't want to."

She smiled again – that heart-melting smile – as she scrambled off his lap and into a position right alongside him. "I know, Tommy, me too. But you're right…. This isn't the right way to do this."

The two sat in silence for several moments, Kimberly contemplating the repercussions of their actions, and Tommy fighting to control his unrequited arousal.

Finally, he spoke up, still fighting to regulate his breathing. "I love you, Kimberly."

Her breath caught in her throat and she whirled to face him. "That's a pretty hefty statement, after one make-out session."

Tommy shook his head before she'd even finished her sentence. "No, Kim. I never stopped. I never stopped loving you." He paused to take a deep breath before continuing. "And I don't expect you to feel the same way, and I don't expect you to say it back. I just… I just needed to say it."

Kimberly nodded thoughtfully as she stared straight ahead, uneasiness clouding her face. "Where does this leave us, Tommy?"

It was his turn to stare as he considered his reply carefully. Then he shook his head. "I don't want this to be it for us, Kim. Trust me, it's taking every ounce of strength I have to stop myself from just leaning over and taking you. I just… I have to do this right, and I've already messed things up pretty badly with Kat."

A billion thoughts crowded Kimberly's mind. She considered what Tommy was saying, but she wasn't sure she was interpreting his words correctly. Was he saying he wanted to be with her? Was he saying he regretted their passionate encounter? She honestly wasn't sure what his intentions were, but she opted to contemplate all of these things to herself rather than voice them aloud. Instead, she snuggled against his side, sighing contently as he wrapped one arm around her. She was satisfied to simply live in that moment; she and Tommy had plenty of time to clarify their complicated situation.

* * *

Kimberly awoke the next morning and immediately felt the haze of the red wine hanging over her head. "Unnhhhh," she groaned as she sat up and took in her surroundings. She was in a large bed in a room she didn't recognize, still in her t-shirt and shorts, wrapped in expensive-feeling sheets. From the large window to her right, it appeared that the sun had just broken over the horizon. Her mind reeled, trying to recall the events of the previous evening.

_Tommy. _

She looked around again and came to the panicked realization that she was waking up in Tommy's room. In Tommy's bed.

_Tommy and Kat's bed,_ her mind reminded her, eliciting a groan of despair.

Her mind raced. The last thing she remembered was sitting quietly with Tommy on the couch. Thoughts of their impromptu make-out session left a warm feeling inside of her, but she was still confused about having woken up in his bed. _There's no way we took it that far… is there?_ She and Tommy had never crossed that line, and she was sure if they had, she'd remember it. Besides, she was still in her pajamas. Doubt still hung heavy in her mind, though, and she replayed the events again and again for confirmation. Had she really had that much to drink?

A firm knock on the door, followed by a turn of the doorknob halted her racing thoughts, and she turned to face the handsome, chipper, sculpted man that entered.

"Good morning," Tommy greeted her brightly as he headed her way, two steaming cups of coffee in hand.

"Good morning."

"How'd you sleep?" he asked as he sat on the edge of the bed opposite her.

"Um, fine…" she asked, still shaking off the haze. "Um, Tommy…"

"You fell asleep on the couch. I carried you up here and put you to bed."

"Oh… Well, then – "

"I slept in the guest room. Don't worry, I was a perfect gentleman," he said, answering the question she was dying to ask but didn't know how to articulate. He handed her a cup of coffee and cleared his throat, a sure sign he was ready to say something significant.

"Kim, I did a lot of thinking last night – I mean, _a lot _ of thinking – after you went to sleep. In fact, I barely slept." He turned to face her, melting her heart all over again. "And I want you to know I meant everything I said last night. I don't regret anything I said, and I definitely don't regret anything we did."

Kimberly blushed at the mention of their rendezvous the night before, and she waited patiently for him to continue.

"I've led multiple Power Ranger teams. I've put myself through college and beyond. I've worked really hard my whole life, and in that time I've had to make lots of difficult decisions. Decisions that could mean the difference between life and death." He paused and cleared his throat again. "Out of all of those decisions, you know the only one I regret?"

Kim shook her head, unsure of where he was heading.

"The only decision I regret is choosing to let you go without a fight."

Kimberly sat in a stunned silence as she digested his words. He turned and stood to leave, stopping to look back at her only once he had reached the door. "Kim?" She looked at him blankly, having been left totally speechless after that last admission.

"Kim, that's not a mistake I plan to make again."

His words were firm and his voice was confident, and Kimberly immediately recognized the tone. Tommy the sappy romantic was gone for now. Tommy the leader was back.

He reached for the doorknob and began to step out before speaking one last time. "Everyone else is here already. Portal-Coms are set up on the beach, so get dressed and head downstairs." His words were accompanied by a suggestive wink, and he stepped out, closing the door behind him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Kimberly trotted down the stairs confidently soon after her rousing beckon from Tommy. She had spent plenty of time in the shower contemplating her current predicament, thinking about how she would face her friends. She was anticipating amused glances from Trini and Aisha and accusatory glares from Tanya. She was sure that, eventually, Tommy would share the details of their racy encounter with the boys. Men couldn't ever keep such things to themselves. The perky brunette was sure she would have lots of explaining to do.

However, she knew that all the pondering would do her no good, and there were more pressing things to deal with today anyway. She made her peace with her sinful behavior and was now determined to do anything she could to help rescue Tommy's innocent fiancée.

She appeared in the kitchen where everyone else had gathered dressed in short athletic shorts, running shoes and a white tank top. Her caramel locks were pulled tightly into a high ponytail. She approached Jason from behind and snatched a piece of bagel from his hand.

"Hey!" Jason called indignantly, whirling around to face the offender. "Well, good morning, Sunshine," he retorted, his tone dropping from angry agitation to playful sarcasm. "Did you have a good night?"

Kim chewed thoughtfully on her stolen bagel as she tried to assess Jason's tone. Did he already know what had happened between her and Tommy? Her gaze darted to the latter and quickly back to the tall figure in the red t-shirt directly in front of her. "It was fine."

Jason simply nodded, still not giving away how in tune he was to the situation. He gestured toward the bagel in her hand. "Enjoy your breakfast."

"Alright, guys, here's the plan," Tommy stated firmly in his 'leader' voice, stepping up to the counter where they were all gathered. Billy stepped up immediately to his right, readily available for consultation.

As the group leaned in, anticipating the rest of Tommy's directions, Kimberly found herself across the table from Tanya. Much to her surprise, she was greeted with a warm smile, which she happily returned. _They must not know anything at all…_ she mused, as she turned her eyes to Trini in a stare that begged her for a dish session as soon as possible.

"Billy has analyzed and observed the location where Kat's being held. It's a volcanic cave with lots of separate regions and caverns." He glanced at Billy for confirmation.

"That's almost right, Tommy," Billy interjected. "It's a subvolcanic cave, which means it's located in the base of a volcano. It's not exposed directly to the molten lava, but recent activity in the volcano has left the ground somewhat unstable. For that reason, we'd like to take one of the zords in with us."

Tommy smiled, slightly amused at how easily Billy had stepped into this leadership role. He used Billy's temporary takeover as an opportunity to glance at Kim. She looked back at him nonchalantly and blushed slightly under his gaze.

"You have lots to tell me about later," Aisha hissed in Kim's ear from her right, noting Tommy's obvious scoping.

"Shh!" Kim replied with a giggle, turning her attention from Aisha and Tommy and directly back to Billy. "And you're right… I do," she whispered, without looking directly at her gossip-hungry friend, a wicked smile spreading over her face.

"Based on the climate and terrain that we'll be encountering, I feel the FalconZord would be our best bet," he continued, again oblivious to the goings-on around him.

"I didn't know we could still use the zords. Weren't they destroyed?" Adam inquired.

"Their link to the morphing grid was destroyed, but the physical zords are still intact. Therefore, the FalconZord won't be nearly as powerful as it once was. Essentially, it's a vessel for transport, but it will allow us the advantage of flight."

"So it's like a big airplane," Zack paraphrased. Billy and Tommy nodded simultaneously as Tommy stepped back into the leadership role.

"From what we've seen, we'll be entering on a flat slab of rock. The edge of that slab slopes down into a steep ravine. There's some flat space at the bottom, but not large enough to land the zord." Tommy produced a sheet of paper and began diagramming his description. "Kat's down at the bottom, and as of this morning, she's still alone."

Billy nodded in agreement, but gulped at his omission of information. It was clear to him that Kat had been visited by someone during the night. She was still visibly okay, and there were no signs that she'd been placed under a spell or was under the influence of any type of magical forces. He knew the idea that someone had paid her a visit would upset Tommy, especially since it happened while she wasn't being monitored, and since there were no apparent consequences to her encounter, he thought maybe it would be best to keep it to himself.

"We'll need to split into some groups to cover all our bases," Tommy continued, redirecting attention to his hastily-drawn diagram. "I'm thinking we'll need two or three people to actually scale down the rock to get Kat. I'll go; I just need a few others to go with me."

"I'm in," Adam supplied. "I've always been pretty good at rock climbing." Tanya nodded in agreement.

"My presumption would be that whoever goes should be fairly fast and agile," Billy supplemented. "I'll happily go, Tommy, but unfortunately those are not skills I've been graced with."

"Sounds like a job for our littlest ranger," Jason said with a nod in Kimberly's direction.

Kim sighed as everyone's eyes followed his cue. She knew she'd be put up to it as soon as someone mentioned 'agility.' "Yeah, I'll go."

"Are you sure?" Tommy asked, his face clouded with concern.

She nodded resolutely. "I said I'd do whatever I could."

"Okay, so who's the next group?" Rocky asked anxiously.

"Well, I need two people to wait outside of the portal and guard the Portal-Coms, just in case those tin cans come back and try to knock them down while we're in there. If that happens, we'll be trapped. I need a couple of people to stay aboard the zord to serve as command central. Everyone else should be outside near the ledge to serve as backup and lookout to the three of us climbing down." Tommy was gesturing towards his diagram frenetically as he spoke, and as he did so the remaining seven former rangers assigned themselves duty posts, both verbally and non-verbally.

Tommy had barely finished speaking before Jason took his turn as leader. "Billy and Trini will stay in the ship. They can run all their fancy scans and whatnot from there." Jason's flippant comment elicited a giggle from Trini. "Aisha and Rocky, you two okay with staying out?" They responded with shrugs and nods. "Then that leaves me, Zack, and Tanya as backup on the ledge. Sound good to everyone?"

Jason's words were met with a collective nod, and he turned to face Tommy directly. "Alright, Bro, we're all set. Let's go get your soon-to-be-wife."

Jason's words left Tommy with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he remembered the conversation he would have to have with Kat as soon as she returned. He glanced over at Kimberly as reinforcement, but she was engrossed in a whispered conversation with Aisha. She appeared to be trying not to answer the bubbly girl's questions, and the corners of his lips upturned in the slightest of smiles as he watched the girls carry on. _Just talk to Kat. It'll be hard, but just talk to her,_ he reassured himself.

When Jason referred to Kat as Tommy's 'soon-to-be-wife', he had chosen his words very carefully. Tommy hadn't let on that anything had happened between him and Kim, but he was still suspicious, especially after witnessing Kim's agitated emotional state the previous morning. Even if it was just a heart-to-heart conversation, he was convinced something had transpired between the two of them, and he had tossed those words at Tommy in hopes of a reaction.

He got nothing.

He sighed as he watched Tommy watch Kim, then turned to lead the group outside.

* * *

She was blind.

At least, that's what Katherine thought, when the intensely bright white light filled the deep cavern that had become her abode. She had lost all sense of time, but it had been so long since she'd seen the light of day she could barely pull her eyelids apart in the wake of the luminosity's brutal assault.

As her widely dilated pupils adjusted to the fading glow, her ears detected a mechanical hum, and she rose from her slumped position, straining to find the source of the noise. A glimmer of hope shot through her like a bolt of lightning, followed quickly by an urge to remain on the defensive.

The blushing bride had been trapped in this same spot for what felt like forever. The memories of her wedding day seemed like a vague, foggy dream, and she'd spent hours upon hours envisioning the moment Tommy would arrive to rescue her. She could see him in her mind's eye, dressed in the elegant tuxedo she'd selected for him, fighting his way into the dank confines of her rocky prison for her.

And in all this time, her moment never came. In fact, she'd been alone for so long, she'd begun to think maybe she'd been banished to somewhere beyond the universe's realm, someplace beyond the reach of Tommy and her friends. There was no sign of life anywhere in her vicinity.

None, that is, until the man that came to her last night.

She shuddered as she thought about his visit. His demeanor was pleasant and just charming enough to make her forget about the possibility of him being evil, and the images he showed her were more convincing than she was willing to admit. In her heart of hearts, though, she knew Tommy was somewhere desperately searching for her, and she refused to believe anything to the contrary. So when the strange man showed up with his crystal ball, she'd dismissed him and his images without a second thought.

Those second thoughts that she'd let go hung heavily in her mind now, though. And while her heart screamed at her to yell out for Tommy, seeing as how there was no one else who would make their way into an evil dimension to rescue her, her head screamed back to hold back. In her silence, she chastised herself for doubting her husband-to-be.

Katherine swept her long white dress to the side as she made her way towards the tall rock wall directly in front of her, keeping her eyes trained on the luminescent glow above. She waited for a few moments in total silence, staring straight up at a dark silhouette as it appeared above the cliff.

A mild smile crept across her lips as the shadow took shape. She recognized it immediately, and the masculine voice that filled the room erased any lingering doubt.

"Katherine?"

* * *

Tommy sighed with relief as Katherine's pleasant voice called his name in reply. He stood on the edge on the edge of the rocky cliff bathed in darkness, and he was thankful that his facial expression was hidden from view. The look on his face was a cross between fierce determination and looming trepidation, and the briefest flash of uncertainty was unbecoming for a leader.

"Are we really about to go rock climbing in a volcano?" Adam asked in a hushed whisper, leaning in towards Kim as the two slipped into their harnesses closely behind Tommy.

" 'Fraid so," came Kim's reply. "A pitch black volcano, to be exact."

Meanwhile, Tommy lifted his wrist to use his now-functional communicator. "Billy, can we get some light out here?"

"Sure thing, Tommy." Billy's words were followed by a wide beam of light sweeping over the landscape emitted from the front of the FalconZord.

Tommy turned into the light, facing Adam and Kim as they began rooting their tethers into the firm rock. "You guys?" He paused long enough for the two to turn their eyes to him before continuing. "You don't have to do this."

Adam scoffed. "Shut up, Tommy."

Tommy half-smiled at Adam's docile reply, but he trained his eyes on those belonging to the woman who had stirred his heart (among other things) the night before. He held her gaze for a moment, his eyes speaking louder than anything he could verbalize. She smiled back at him reassuringly. "We'll be fine."

"I'm just wor-"

"We'll be fine," Kimberly reiterated, silencing his protest. She flung a harness at him casually. "Better suit up."

* * *

A few moments later, Tommy, Kim and Adam were poised at the mouth of the canyon, prepared to make their descent. Each was wearing a harness fastening them to a strong rope secured to the rock at the top of the ledge. A fourth rope had been tethered and cast down into the abyss for Katherine to use to climb back up – a logical suggestion from Adam while Tommy and Kim were busy conversing nonverbally.

"Alright guys, take it slow and easy. I don't know how far it is." Tommy turned to Jason, Tanya and Zack. "You guys are our spotters. If anything happens, remember the communicators are working now. If you need backup…"

"…call for Billy and Trini from the zord, and Aisha and Rocky from the portal. Yeah yeah, we got it," Jason laughed at Tommy's overprotective insistence. "Chill, bro, we're fine."

Tommy smiled and reached out his hand to smack Jason's. "I know. And I really appreciate – "

"Later, man. You've got a bride to rescue," Zack interjected, cutting Tommy off once again.

"I swear, one of these days I'm going to finish – "

"A sentence?" Kimberly jumped in playfully, predicting his thought with a giggle.

Tommy rolled his eyes as he planted his feet firmly on the edge of the canyon. "Let's go."

* * *

Kimberly cast herself down the wall powerfully and cascaded weightlessly and effortlessly through the air in long intervals, interrupted only by occasionally making contact with the rocky wall in front of her. Tommy's orders had been to take the climb slowly, an order she was disregarding somewhat deliberately. The feeling she got from freefalling was exhilarating to say the least, and besides, the climb back up was going to be the difficult part. She needed to conserve her energy.

She dropped swiftly into the thickening fog and immense heat, and within moments her feet made contact with solid ground. She breathed a sigh of relief as she unhooked her harness from the rope, oblivious to the white-clad figure quickly approaching her.

"Kimberly?"

She swiveled at the sound of her name and found herself face-to-face with Katherine. "Kat! Oh my God, are you okay?"

"Um, yeah… What are you doing here? Where's Tommy?"

"Well, they needed the original rangers to break into this dimension, so… here I am," Kim said hesitantly, taken aback slightly at Katherine's less-than-enthusiastic greeting. She knew she wasn't Katherine's favorite person, but she thought she'd at least be happy to be rescued. "Tommy's on his way down."

Kat nodded, unable to speak as things began to fall into place in her mind. The images that horrific man had shown her were easy to doubt when she thought Kim was at a safe distance on the other side of the country. Now that she was here, in the flesh, Kat just didn't know what to think. She stood in silence, staring back at Kimberly in her perky ponytail and perfectly toned legs in tiny shorts and tried to choke back the green-eyed monster that threatened to burst forth from within her.

Her reeling mind was interrupted by the sound of heavy footfalls behind her and the voice of her beloved. "Katherine!"

She swirled to face him, a surging feeling of relief washing over her as she practically floated across the floor into his arms. "Tommy! I'm so glad you came!" Her sweet accented voice flooded him with warmth, and as he embraced her he found himself feeling a tinge of guilt and a pang of doubt in the choice he'd made just hours before.

The half-second of doubt only lasted until his gaze traveled to Kimberly. She hovered close to the wall, wiping sweat and several strands of hair from her forehead with one hand, her other firmly planted on her hip. There was something erotic and arousing about her, and it stirred something deep inside of him, something the delicate blonde that currently clung to him had never quite reached.

His mind was made up when Kim flashed him a brief smile. His eyes screamed out an apology as he gently kissed the top of Katherine's head. Now was not the time for the serious talk he'd have to have with her. Not now… but soon.

"Kat, come on, we've got to head back up," he urged her, pulling her towards the wall.

"Tommy, what's she doing here?" she replied in a half-hushed tone, letting herself be led away.

Kim rolled her eyes as she turned back to the wall. _I could have sworn I just answered that question,_ she fumed. And suddenly Adam, bathed in the thick tension in the close quarters, found himself wondering why he had actively volunteered to jump in the middle of such an obvious love triangle.

"She's here to save you," Tommy replied with a forced pleasantness, trying to stave off the impending firestorm. He reached for the spare harness they'd brought and began helping her into it.

As it turned out, wedding dresses were not the best apparel for rock climbing, as Tommy and Katherine quickly discovered as they struggled to get her into a harness.

"There's too much skirt!" Adam exclaimed, moving over to help them.

Kimberly moved reluctantly towards the group, observing the sad, tattered shreds of the bottom of her gown. She reached out for the satin material of the skirt and sighed deeply. "Kat? I don't think you're going to be able to salvage the dress."

She sighed without turning to face her. "I know."

Kim made brief eye contact with Tommy, desperate to know whether or not Kat was even going to need a wedding dress in the near future. She couldn't sense an answer, so she turned back to Kat. "We can help you find another one."

Kat fought back an angry scoff at the idea of Kimberly having any part in choosing her wedding dress. Nevertheless, Kimberly was right – if she was going to get up that wall, much of the dress was going to have to go. "Just make it quick, okay?" She turned her eyes to Tommy's, seeking comfort through the tears that were starting to well up in her eyes. She felt Kim and Adam grasp her dress firmly and grimaced as they tugged firmly, ripping much of it away. The symbolism of Kimberly tearing her wedding dress off was not lost on her, and a single tear slipped down her cheek as she felt the satiny material pool around her ankles.

Once she was left standing in the light underlayers of her dress that hung modestly past her knee, Tommy was able to easily help her slip into the harness. She stepped away from the remains of her gorgeous gown and headed towards the wall and the freely dangling rope that would lead to her freedom.

"Jase? We're on our way back up. Any signs of trouble up there?" Tommy spoke into his communicator as he headed back toward his own rope, motioning for Adam and Kim to do the same.

"Negative. That was quick… Everything go alright down there for you guys?"

"Yep, the only casualty so far has been Kat's dress. Do the tethers look like they're holding?"

In response to Tommy's question, a dull roar and a low rumble broke through the cave, and small wisps of steam snuck through the rock beneath their feet.

"It's been doing that all right," Kat reported.

"We're in a volcano," Tommy responded, his voice edged with concern. "I have a feeling there's lava flowing somewhere below us. Let's make this quick."

"Checked the tethers, Tommy. You're clear," Tanya's voice rang through the communicator, putting a smile on Katherine's face. She was in desperate need of Tanya's support and her particular brand of guidance.

The four former rangers took to the wall and began their slow ascent back to their teammates and the portal leading them home.

* * *

"Can you see them yet?" Tanya called out to either of her fellow spotters from her crouched position. The increasing frequency of the deep rumbles beneath her made her anxious for Tommy, Adam, Kim and especially Katherine to make it up the wall.

"They just made it to the ledge. I can barely see them," Zack called in response, pointing down into the darkness. The four had paused for a brief moment on a rough ledge jutting out from the wall about halfway up. "How you guys doing?" he spoke into his communicator.

"Oh, just dandy!" Kim returned, a lively sarcasm soaking her tone.

"Good deal," Zack responded with a laugh. "Keep up the good work, Pinky." He didn't need to see her to know her eyes were rolling.

Suddenly the ground shook again, but much more violently than before. The roar was nearly deafening, and the quaking ground forced Tanya to dig her nails deep into the rock to keep herself from tumbling head first into the darkness below. The rumbling lasted much longer than before, and she along with Jason and Zack struggled to maintain their stance, let alone watch the four climbers below.

"Hold tight, you guys!" Jason called out blindly, praying that the shaking would not send his friends tumbling into the canyon.

As the quaking died down, the spotters worked to regain their bearings. Much to all of their relief, Tommy, Adam, Kim and Kat all remained hunched safely on the ledge, waiting for a safe time to resume their climb.

Jason looked around frantically to survey the damage of the near-explosion that had just taken place and quickly discovered a hazardous situation. "You guys! Two of the tethers have broken loose!" He yanked on the two ropes attached to the faulty tethers to signal to his friends not to climb. "We'll try to reattach them," he spoke into his communicator. "Until then, stay put."

* * *

Tommy huddled close to Katherine, Adam and Kim on the ledge, working to keep his feet firmly planted and at the same time ready to dive headlong off the edge should one of his friends be knocked backwards. "You guys, we can't stay here. It's not safe."

"Jason told us to stay put!" Kat exclaimed in an alarmed tone.

"Whose tethers are shot?" Tommy pressed on.

Adam swung his rope freely, showing its slack. "Mine's not attached, for sure."

"I think mine's okay," Kimberly said, yanking fiercely on her rope with no apparent consequence.

"Mine too," Tommy replied.

_It figures,_ Kat thought angrily, observing the slack in her own rope.

"Can two people climb on each rope?" Kim inquired.

"Normally, yes… But I worry that the ground will become less stable, and the added strain on the ropes won't help the situation," Adam replied.

"Why don't Kim and I climb up, and as soon as we're at the top Adam and Kat can follow behind on our ropes?"

"I think that's our best bet," Adam agreed.

Kim sighed deeply, the guilt that she'd been forcing down all day threatening to bubble out of her under Tommy's intense stare. She looked back at Tommy, then looked to Katherine. "Why don't you go first, Kat?" she offered, holding her rope out as a peace offering.

"What?" Kat replied, in utter shock.

"Use my rope. Climb with Tommy. I'll climb with Adam afterwards. You've been trapped down here long enough."

Katherine felt strangely at ease accepting Kim's offer, but Tommy now found himself wrought with misgivings. As Adam helped Katherine unhook her harness from the faulty rope and reattach it to Kimberly's, Tommy grabbed Kimberly strongly by the arm and pulled her to the side, pressing her back to the wall and hovering over her, his lips dangerously close to hers, "What are you doing?" he whispered urgently.

"I'm a better climber. If things get worse I have a better chance of making it up than she does."

"And what if you don't?"

Kim found herself feeling intoxicated by his close presence and was having a difficult time speaking without letting her voice tremble. She was tempted to tell him to let Adam take his place so he could stay with her on the ledge and they could pick up where they left off the night before. Fighting against a massive flood of emotion, she was only capable of a meek shrug.

"I'll tell you what will happen. If you don't make it up, then I'll be coming back down after you." His eyes blazed with passion as he mustered every ounce of willpower to let go of her. "So don't you dare fall, unless you plan on taking me with you."

Kimberly could feel Katherine's heated stare at this point, and she gave Tommy's arm a platonic pat. "I'll be fine, Tommy."

He began to step away, then leaned down close to her ear. He could smell her coconut shampoo, and practically taste the lip gloss that covered her lips. He took a deep breath, inhaling as much of her essence as he could before whispering, "You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you right now."

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea," she replied in a similar whisper, trembling slightly as he released his embrace and stepped away, leaving her there on the rocky ledge.

* * *

"Come on, you're almost there!" Tanya encouraged Katherine as she neared the top of the wall. She reached for her hand and made contact with her best friend at long last. Making use of the edge of the wall as leverage she pulled upward, bringing Katherine up to the top to join the others.

"It's so good to see you Tanya!" Kat exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her maid-of-honor as the others gathered around her and welcomed her back.

Tommy pulled himself up onto the flat surface and immediately cast a glance behind him. Kimberly and Adam waited patiently below, ready to begin their ascent. They seemed calm, but Tommy was anxious. The ground had shaken and rumbled several more times during his and Kat's climb, and he was nervous about the stability of their environment. "Billy, how are things looking from there?" he said into his communicator as he swung his firmly attached rope so that Adam could reach it.

"We're definitely detecting some more seismic activity, and the temperature has risen eight degrees since we've arrived. We should try to hurry."

Tommy nodded, then reached for Katherine's abandoned rope. She was actively engaged in excited conversation with Tanya, Jason and Zack, leaving Tommy to tend to the two climbers below. "Alright guys, let's do this!" he called down to Adam and Kim.

The two began their slow and careful climb, using the two ropes that remained firmly attached above. Tommy watched nervously, refusing to remove his harness until he was sure he wouldn't need to climb back down after them.

Adam and Kimberly made their way up, clinging carefully to the rocks and the rope at the same time. They were quickly approaching the top, with Kimberly just a little higher than Adam when the ground began to rumble once again.

"Stay put!" Tommy yelled, keeping a careful eye on the tethers.

Kim clung to her spot on the rock wall, trying her best to do as Tommy said. She wasn't in the best position for holding her ground, though and she could feel her footing beginning to slip. She looked around for an alternative and found it just up above and to her right. Despite the still-rumbling rock beneath her, Kimberly grunted and reached for the large stone jutting out from the wall.

Meanwhile, Tommy could see an ominous red glow emanating from the depths of the canyon that grew in brightness as the volume of the rumbling increased. "Kim! Hang on!" he called, noticing her movement below him.

"I can't! I have to – "

Her words were cut off by a loud explosion below as the reddish color broke through the stone floor below. The force of the explosion sent a powerful wave and a gust of wind up through the canyon. Adam managed to cling to the wall, bracing for impact, but Kimberly's insecure footing let her down, and the force of the explosion drove her back away from the wall in a complete freefall.

"KIM!" Tommy screamed in a panicked tone, alerting the others to the problems going on below. They joined Tommy at the canyon as he grabbed hold of the rope Kimberly was using to climb. The rope swung inward just enough to pull Kimberly back into the wall, and she collided with a sickening thud before toppling down to the small ledge where she had recently been waiting. She landed on her side and remained motionless on the narrow protrusion.

"I'll get her, Tommy!" Adam called as he moved to climb back down to the ledge. True to form, though, Tommy ignored his offer and reached to clip his harness to the rope.

"Tommy, don't!" Kat exclaimed, knowing exactly what Tommy was planning on doing.

He looked back at Katherine resolutely and shook his head. "I have to, Kat." He turned to Jason, who simply nodded in understanding and placed a hand on Kat's shoulder in reassurance – and possibly in restraint.

Tommy took a deep breath as he glanced behind him one more time. Kimberly was dangerously close to falling further into the glowing red cavern below, and her lifeless form had Tommy fearing the worst. He turned back to his friends and leapt backwards from his spot on the ledge in a freefall of his own.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Steamy air whizzed past him as Tommy glided through the air, his harness zipping along the taut line. He twisted his body in a graceful flip as he moved, and seconds later his feet made gentle landing on the small ledge. He surged forward as he landed, his hands scrambling for the rope immediately in front of him. As soon as he was sure of his footing, his eyes darted upward. "Adam! Keep going!" Adam nodded, then pushed forward to the next secure climbing point.

Tommy turned his attention to the unresponsive form immediately to his right. He tried desperately to convince his legs to carry him to her, but they simply wouldn't cooperate. He stood frozen there against the rock wall attempting to regain control of his quaking legs until he set his sights on something that threatened to bring him to his knees.

He saw her chest rise and fall in a slow rhythm.

"Kim…" he muttered shakily, finally convincing the lower half of his body to obey his command. He sank to his knees as he reached her, and while the sight of her breathing swept a wave of relief through him, a sharp dagger of fear pierced him when he spotted the small pool of blood beneath her head. He reached for her shoulder to gently roll her towards him, and as he did so a pained moan slipped past her lips.

Tommy did his best to position her on her back as gently as he could, but the movement clearly hurt her as evidenced by her whimpers and labored breathing. He was comforted to find that the wound on her head was rather superficial, despite the blood, but he couldn't find the source of her discomfort.

"Kim? Kim, open your eyes for me," he whispered softly, brushing hair from her forehead. "Come back to me, Beautiful."

Her eyelids fluttered, followed by another painful grunt. She managed to speak, her voice just barely above a whisper. "Tommy?"

"It's me, Kim."

"What happened?'

Unsure of exactly how much of her memory she was lacking, Tommy chose not to answer. Instead he leaned over her and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "We have to get you out of here."

"I can't climb," she muttered, finally sounding coherent. "My shoulder…"

Tommy sighed, finally discovering what was hurting her so badly. She cradled her shoulder awkwardly as she pulled her eyes open to stare at him. Tommy was able to lock eyes with her for only a second before her eyelids threatened to droop again.

"Kim! Kim, stay with me. Come on, open your eyes."

"Mhmm?"

"I need you to hold on. Hold on to me, Kim. I'll get you out of here." Tommy took great pains to cradle Kim's bad shoulder as he lifted her, wrapping her good arm around his neck. Her grip was limp, and Tommy was worried that she'd passed out again until he heard her agonized cry. "I'm sorry, Beautiful. I'm trying to be gentle." Kim nodded timidly in reply, her lip clutched slightly between her teeth.

Once she was safely in his arms, Tommy detangled their harnesses and reattached them to the rope. Then he fumbled to use his communicator, trying to take as much care as possible not to jostle Kim too much. "Jason?"

"You guys alright?"

"We'll be okay, but I'm gonna need your help." He glanced down at Kim and watched her fight for consciousness.

"Name it, bro."

"I need you guys to pull us up. I'll brace against the wall, but we can't climb."

"Is Kim okay?"

Tommy glanced back down at the woman in his arms and sighed. She rolled her head backward to make eye contact with him and mustered a weak smile, but Tommy's heart sank at the lack of light in her eyes. "I'm okay," she insisted.

"She'll be okay," Tommy claimed, trying to stay hopefully optimistic. "Just pull us up."

"You got it. Stand by."

* * *

Tommy clutched the rope in a death grip as it tore at the skin on his hand. His other arm was wrapped firmly around Kimberly, and he used both legs to push off the wall in steady intervals as his teammates worked to pull the pair upward. Collectively they'd managed to find a solid rhythm and he and Kim had been rising at a consistent rate, but he wasn't sure how much longer his trembling muscles would hold out.

He glanced upwards toward his friends and found himself nearly within reach of Jason and Zack. He squeezed his eyes shut as his feet made contact with the wall again, and he sucked in a deep breath between his teeth. _One more push…_

He launched himself and Kimberly upward powerfully and Jason caught him by the arm as the others heaved backward on the rope. He sighed as he worked to uncurl his fingers from the rope, his knees making shaky contact with the smooth, flat rock.

"I got her, Tommy," Jason said as he reached for Kim. Eager to stretch his fatigued muscles, Tommy relinquished her into his arms, being as careful as he could to pass her off gently. She mumbled a quiet greeting, breathing heavily. As soon as she was secure, Jason's eyes traveled to Tommy and he gestured backward over his shoulder harshly. "I think you've got some other things to take care of."

Tommy followed Jason's lead and his gaze fell upon Katherine. She stood between Tanya and Billy, who'd rushed from the zord with Trini to help with the rescue efforts. Her shoulders slumped as she dropped the rope and made eye contact with him, and tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. She was relieved to see him out of harm's way and angry that he'd acted so impulsively, exhausted from the struggle from the last few days and wired with pure adrenaline. The conflicting emotions threatened to overtake her, and she took several wobbly steps toward him before he moved to meet her.

"Tommy? Take me home," she sobbed softly as she buried her head in his shoulder.

* * *

"Jason, I'm fine," Kim protested as he set her down gently against the wall in the FalconZord's cockpit. Jason ignored her as he moved to her left, taking a seat against the wall alongside her. Trini moved forward in Jason's place and crouched on the ground in front of her friend.

"Did you black out?" Trini asked in a serious tone, pressing a bandage from the zord's first aid kit to the gash on her forehead.

"Yeah, I think a little."

Trini continued to work to bandage Kimberly's head as Jason and Zack exchanged concerned glances from either side of the fallen pink ranger. Meanwhile, Tommy led Katherine, Tanya and Adam into the zord.

"Is she alright, Trini?" Tommy interjected, as he helped Katherine into a comfortable position on the floor.

"I'm no doctor, so I'm not sure… But my concern is that she may have a concussion."

"Come on, Trini, I'm fine," Kimberly protested again.

"Yeah? What about your shoulder?"

Trini's argument silenced Kim as she looked away quickly. Trini turned back to Tommy. "Was she conscious when you found her?"

"Barely."

Trini turned back to Kim and straightened her posture, her bandaging job now done. "You should go to a hospital. Just to get checked out. Someone needs to look at that shoulder, and I want to make sure your head injury isn't serious."

Kim sighed as she relaxed against the wall. She hadn't wanted to admit that she could barely move her arm, or that she was still fighting to stay awake, but she certainly didn't have the energy to argue with Trini either. So she nodded silently, looking back to her friend in gratitude.

"Okay," Trini said with a compassionate smile as she rose to her feet. "I'm going to head up front and help Billy pilot this thing back to the beach. Jason and Zack will take care of you, okay?"

Kim rolled her eyes with a subtle smile as she looked back and forth between her two loyal guardians. "I don't need a staff of caretakers."

"Oh, yes you do," Zack said in a singsong tone as Trini stepped away. "Otherwise…"

"Otherwise your 'friend' over there will get all worried that no one's taking care of you, and he'll abandon Katherine to make sure you're being tended to properly. That will ultimately result in a catfight," Jason whispered with a sly smile.

"And judging from the shape you're in, you might lose. We'd hate to see that happen," added Zack with a smile.

"So if for no other reason than to avoid further bloodshed… We're staying right here. So that Tommy can stay right _there_."

Kimberly turned to face the subject of their conversation. He had settled against the opposite wall with Katherine, her head buried in a pile of matted blonde hair against his chest. His hand stroked her shoulders absently, like a routine that had been refined and perfected over time, but his stare was fixed on Kimberly. He was at least twenty feet away, but she could still feel the heat from his gaze. His eyes screamed with concern and blazed with desire, and she wanted nothing more than to leap from her spot and settle safely in his lap.

Of course, she'd have to move Kat out of the way first.

Despite her throbbing head and shoulder, Kim managed a small smile and a wink in his direction. Then she closed her eyes and settled back against the wall as she felt the zord's thrusters kick into life beneath her.

* * *

"Kim? Kim, wake up."

Kimberly let loose a disgruntled groan as she pried her eyelids apart. Zack's face filled her field of vision, and she fought against her own disorientation. "Stop yelling. What's going on?"

"We're back. Let's go." Zack reached forward to help Kimberly to her feet, and he maintained a grip on her arm as they made their way to the open hatch and out of the FalconZord. Most of the former rangers had already exited and were dispersed on the beach, save for Billy and Trini who were preparing the FalconZord to be laid to rest yet again.

She squinted against the bright sunlight and stumbled slightly as she stepped off the loading ramp. Zack used her arm to steady her, refusing to let go of his old friend as they made their way up the beach at the back of the caravan.

Aisha whirled and rushed back to greet the two, immediately upon seeing them descend from the zord. "Kim? What happened?"

Kimberly mustered a weak smile in her direction. "I was heading the wrong way during a climb."

"Are you okay?"

"My shoulder's messed up, it hurts to breathe, and Trini seems to think I have a concussion."

"And a serious head lac," Aisha continued, pointing to the blood-soaked bandage on her forehead. "What can I do? I've been standing out here on the beach feeling completely useless, so please… Give me something I can do."

Just then, Tommy turned from his spot on the beach several paces ahead, clearly embroiled in yet another argument with Kat. "Kim?"

Her eyes darted from Aisha to Tommy as Zack continued to ease her stagger. "Yeah?"

"I'm taking you to the hospital."

"I already had this argument with Trini, and I said I'd go get checked out. But you don't have to take me, Tommy… There's plenty of people here, and you clearly have more important things to deal with." Kim gestured over his shoulder towards Kat, who was thirty seconds away from breathing fire.

"I'm taking you. Go get in the Jeep. I'll be right there."

Kim sighed as Tommy turned back to the group ahead. Then she stared directly at Aisha. "You want something to do? Keep Kat from killing me in my sleep."

"Does she have good reason to kill you?" the still-gossip-starved girl begged.

"Oh yes, please do tell," Zack urged, still taking careful strides with her across the sand.

Kim's eyes drifted closed again and she worked to disregard the throbbing pain in her head and upper body. "Yeah, she probably does."

* * *

Katherine charged into Tommy's house through the deck doors, her jaw set but her lip trembling. Tanya followed close on her heels while the remaining former rangers remained outside. "Kat, where are you going?"

"I need a shower," she stated firmly, stopping at the entryway to the living room but still facing away from her friend.

"Kat, what's wrong?"

Katherine turned to face Tanya, pushing her blonde locks over her shoulder. "Well…" she began thoughtfully, "I was kidnapped on my wedding day, and now that I'm back, Tommy's more concerned with taking Kimberly to the hospital than making sure I'm okay." She paused and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to restrain the tears that threatened to fall. "That sounds incredibly selfish…"

"No, it doesn't, Kat."

Kat shook her head and pulled her eyes open long enough to stare up at the ceiling. "Tanya, I don't know what's happening here. I mean, this is all so… unreal…"

"Katherine?"

She whirled at the sound of the new voice in the room to find Tommy entering softly, "I… I thought you were…"

Tommy approached her with purpose, sidestepping Tanya as he reached for her hand. "Kim needs to go to the hospital. You know that. I know that."

Katherine nodded firmly, finding herself once again entranced in his eyes. Her voice caught in her throat, leaving her entirely unable to do anything except stare back at him expectantly.

"I'm going to take her. Trini, Zack, and Rocky are going with us. Billy went to put the zord away, and Tanya, Aisha, Adam and Jason are staying here with you. Since Jason's got his truck here, he'll drive all of you up to the hospital once you're ready." He paused while he used his thumb to stroke the top of her hand. "Take your time, okay? We'll see you guys as soon as you're ready."

Katherine tried to speak again, but it came out in a series of stammers and stutters, and she squeezed her eyes shut again as she tried desperately to gather her thoughts.

"I promise we'll talk later," he said in a quieter, gentler tone.

"We have lots to talk about, I gather," Kat managed to force out, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, we do." He squeezed her hand one last time before turning to go. "See you soon."

* * *

Aisha found herself sitting contemplatively in Tommy's kitchen a little while later, thumbing absent-mindedly through a catalog she'd found on Tommy's coffee table. She felt useless and idle, and she wished she could do something to calm the disquiet in her mind. She glanced at her phone again briefly, hoping that Tommy had called with news about Kim, but she hadn't received a single call. With a frustrated sigh she slammed the catalog shut and rose from her spot at the counter,

"Where are you going?" Tanya asked from her seated position on the other side of the room.

"I need to talk to Kat," she called over her shoulder as she headed for the stairs.

Once she arrived upstairs she could hear that the shower was no longer running, and she rapped firmly on the bathroom door. "Kat, it's me."

The door swung open and Aisha found Katherine perched in front of the mirror. Her hair had been washed and dried, and she was working on straightening it with a flat-iron. Make up was spread all over the counter. Katherine was clearly in the middle of an all-out primp-fest. "Katherine… What are you doing?"

The pretty blonde looked back at her, a confused look on her face. "I'm getting ready to go."

Aisha made her way past Kat, closed the toilet seat and perched herself on it. Biting her lip nervously, she braced herself for the conversation she was about to delve into. "No, Kat, I mean… What are you _really _doing?"

Katherine stopped what she was doing to stare back at her friend in anticipation. "What do you mean?"

"You're getting all glammed up to go to a _hospital_ to fight for someone who you want to have as a husband." A shocked silence fell over the two girls, as Aisha took a deep breath and pushed forward. "_Fight_, Kat. Do you really want to marry someone you have to _fight_ for?"

Katherine turned back to the mirror and twisted another strand of hair around her fingers. "If he weren't worth fighting for, I shouldn't be marrying him."

"True. But do you really think lipstick and hair straighteners are the way to win? I would think the ultimate prize would be Tommy's unconditional love, as in, not dependent on superficial beauty."

"Tommy likes my hair straight."

Tanya appeared suddenly at the doorway, eager to join in the conversation. She leaned casually against the door frame, watching Katherine fuss over her hair and makeup and noticing a certain degree of desperation present in her movement. Tanya remained silent, simply observing the interaction between her two friends.

Aisha looked from Tanya back to Kat before continuing. "Why does Kim threaten you so badly?"

"It's not Kim, it's the _idea_ of Kim. She's his first love, and no matter how hard I work I'll never be able to lay claim to those emotions."

"But shouldn't you be with someone who _does_ have those strong emotions towards you?" Tanya said, breaking her silence. Aisha cast a smile in Tanya's direction, thankful for her unlikely ally, and she began to speak before Tanya jumped in and continued. "Kat, here's all we're saying. If Tommy loves you like he says he does, there's nothing Kimberly can do to change that."

Katherine smiled in appreciation, but Aisha scowled at the insinuation that somehow Kimberly were taking an active role in the drama-filled situation they were all watching unravel before their very eyes. She felt the need to pull the discussion back to her original point, no matter how painful it might be for her pretty blonde friend. She needed to point out that, if Tommy and Kimberly decided they wanted to be together again, there was nothing she or anyone else could do about it. "And if he loves Kimberly…"

"Don't." Katherine finally spoke in a menacing whisper. Both her hands fell to the counter as though she were bracing herself for the truth she knew Aisha was about to speak. "Please don't finish that sentence."

Aisha sighed and shrugged as she stood from her seated position. She patted Katherine gently on the shoulder, her eyes meeting Tanya's and begging her to follow. Tanya obeyed and both girls exited, leaving Katherine alone with her thoughts and her beauty products.

* * *

_Sorry it took so long to get this one out! There's nothing super-exciting happening here, so it was a little bit harder to write. I think I'd like to revise/expand on the conversation between the girls, so if you have suggestions, I'd appreciate them! Thanks for reading!!_


	16. Chapter 16

_Drum Roll, Please... Here it is, the confrontation we've all been waiting for! I hope it lives up to expectation..._

**Chapter 16**

The moment Tommy appeared in the doorway of the small waiting room, Trini was on her feet. "What did they say?"

"Overall, it's good news," he responded, rubbing his forehead gently. "She does have a concussion, but they think it's fairly mild. They want to keep her overnight, just to make sure it's not serious. Her shoulder is really swollen, but they're attributing it to a bad sprain combined with a very small fracture to her clavicle. They stitched up the cut on her forehead, which turned out to be fairly minor, too. Oh, and she broke two ribs. It's going to cause her quite a bit of pain for a while, but there shouldn't be any long term problems."

Trini smiled brightly. "I'm glad to hear it! That Kim… Man, when she gets hurt, she doesn't mess around." She laughed, then continued. "She's a trooper. I don't know why I was worried."

Tommy grinned in reciprocation as the pair returned to the small, less-than-comfortable plastic chairs. Rocky and Zack had fled to find something to eat and would return shortly, leaving Trini and Tommy alone. This was just the opportunity Trini needed.

"So, about Kim…" she treaded softly and slowly.

"Oh, Trini…" Tommy said, a bright, amused smile spreading quickly across his face. "You already know the answer, so why bother asking the question?"

"Do you love her?"

"Yes."

"Have you told her?"

"Yes."

"Have you told Kat?"

"No."

Trini nodded, processing the information she'd just received. She was impressed by Tommy's relative calmness, knowing how neurotic he could be about matters of the heart. He seemed to be at ease with his predicament, and Trini found herself wondering if true love really was blissful enough to break him from his usual broody demeanor.

"We kissed last night."

"I know."

Tommy stared back at Trini, perplexed. "How? I mean, when did she have a chance to talk to you about it?"

"She didn't. But it was written all over her face when she came down the stairs this morning. In fact, I'm surprised that kissing was _all _ you did." Trini paused, gauging Tommy's reaction, before continuing. "_Is_ that all you did?"

"Well…" Tommy said, half smiling as his cheeks reddened, "we just kissed… a lot."

Trini giggled delicately. "Now that's more like it, Dr. Oliver."

"Does she love me?"

Startled by the question, she paused for a moment before responding. "You'd have to ask her that."

"Come on, Trini."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Tommy, of course she loves you. She might not be willing to admit it just yet, to me or you or anyone else, but it's obvious to all of us. Except maybe Kat."

Tommy laughed. "I think it's the _most_ obvious to Kat."

"Well, it seems like Kat probably has good reason to feel insecure, huh?"

Tommy's bright smile died a little as he turned to face Trini directly. "You know, I didn't mean to hurt her."

"I know. But this _is_ going to hurt her. A lot."

Tommy nodded, confirming Trini's statement. "I know."

"You've got to do what's right for you, though, Tommy. If you're going to marry Kat, it should be because you love her more than anyone else in the world, including petite pink gymnasts. It's not fair to you, and it's especially not fair to Kat."

"Speak of the devil…" Tommy replied, gesturing through the window to the hallway outside as the aforementioned headed for the waiting room, the others in tow.

Trini took a deep breath, feeling an impending sense of doom on Tommy's behalf. "Good luck," she whispered.

"Is she okay?" Aisha begged, leading the group into the room.

Tommy smiled and stood to greet them as Kat rushed towards him. She looked fantastic, decked out in a light purple tea-length dress that showed off every feature that had left Tommy crying for mercy over the last ten years. The glimmer in her light blue eyes was accentuated by her dark eyeliner and sparkly eye shadow. She was gorgeous. And for the first time in quite a while, Tommy was _not_ attracted to her.

"Yeah, she's fine," Tommy said, half-hugging Katherine as he returned to his seat. He proceeded to relay all of the information he'd just shared with Trini to a captive audience of Katherine, Aisha, Tanya, Jason and Adam.

As he finished sharing Kimberly's prognosis, Katherine's hand fell to his arm. "So, she'll be okay?"

"Yep."

"That's great!" she exclaimed, with a somewhat artificial smile. She leaned in close to Tommy's ear. "So, can we go home?"

Tommy jerked his arm from her grip and swiveled to face her. "What?"

"Well, she's in capable hands! And you just said she'll be fine." The corners of her freshly-glossed lips turned upwards in a sweet smile that normally would have captivated Tommy and forced him to do whatever her heart desired.

"So you want me to just leave her here?"

"Tommy, we have lots to do. Lots of plans to make," she urged, her smile fading slightly. "We have to check with Reverend Markham about rebooking our ceremony, and find out if we're losing our whole deposit on the banquet hall… They're usually booked solid, so I don't know when we'll be able to reschedule…"

"Stop," Tommy whispered, trying to make his command discrete.

"Tommy, you have no idea how much work we have to do. I mean, there's the florist, and the pastry chef and the DJ… We should really just go home."

"Katherine…"

"We've lost a lot of time already."

"Kat, stop." His voice this time was a near-yell, and as he spoke Aisha cast an alarmed glance in Trini's direction. Tanya could feel her own heart breaking on behalf of her good friend as she watched the painful interaction between Tommy and Kat.

"Tommy? I know you want to be here with Kim, but we have a wedding to re-plan," Katherine insisted, sounding smooth and composed.

"No, Kat… No, we don't."

To call the silence that hung in the room 'tense' would be a titanic understatement. While Tommy and Kat stared at each other intensely with his words hanging heavily between them, the other five adults in the room exchanged anxious, frantic glances. Trini took initiative, pulling herself to her feet from her lounging position in the waiting room chair. "Guys, let's go find Rocky and Zack." She made no attempt to cover her blatant attempt to remove herself and the others from the situation as she grabbed Aisha and Jason by the arm. She pulled them towards the door, Tanya and Adam close behind.

* * *

"Tommy?"

Finding himself alone with Katherine, Tommy averted his eyes and sucked a deep breath into his lungs, trying to gather the words he wanted to say. He'd spent all night thinking of a nice, delicate way to break the news to Katherine. Now, he was willing to ditch all of that careful planning in favor of a much more direct approach. "Kat, we can't get married."

He studied her carefully, anticipating a tearful, emotional breakdown. Instead, she set her jaw and took several steps backwards, away from him. _It's like she expected this, _ Tommy pondered.

"Why now, Tommy? Why'd you wait so long to break it off?" She paused briefly, but before he could respond, she continued, her voice dropping to a threatening snarl. "And just so we're clear, I already know the answer to that question. I just want to hear you say it."

"Kat, we're not happy."

"We've been happy up until now!" she argued.

"No, I haven't. I definitely haven't been discontent, and I think I've started believing that not being unhappy is the same as true happiness." He took two steps towards her, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. "But we both know it's not the same thing."

"How far did you go?"

"What?"

"With Kim. Last night. I'm just trying to figure out to what degree you've been unfaithful."

"Kat, I – "

"Don't lie to me, Tommy. You've hurt me in every other way possible. The least you could do is be honest with me. I know you made out like horny teenagers. I just need to know how much further it went."

His eyes darted to his feet as the bubble of guilt expanded in his chest. "We kissed."

"I know."

"How – "

"Oh, Tommy, it doesn't matter!" she retorted, her voice growing in volume. "I saw you. That's all you need to know. And I didn't believe it until I saw you looking at her today. You can't blame me. Who wants to believe their fiancé is a lying, self-serving, unfaithful ASSHOLE?!?" Tears ran freely over her flushed cheeks now, and she fought desperately to control her quivering hands,

"Katherine, I'm sorry."

"Give it up, Tommy."

His chest expanded as he straightened his posture, finding the words he'd intended to say. "You deserve someone better."

"Oh my God… Did you look that up in the Dictionary of Break-Up Clichés? You've _got_ to be kidding me."

"You do! I don't love you like you deserve to be loved. We shouldn't be getting married unless I love you more than anyone else in the world. It's not fair to you," Tommy claimed, trying to recite Trini's well-spoken words from earlier.

"Is that supposed to hurt less?"

He shrugged helplessly, not sure what else to say to the fuming woman before him. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Yeah, she just fell into your lap and you accidentally kissed her, right?"

"This doesn't have anything to do with Kim." His voice was soft and small, as though he wasn't even convinced.

"Bullshit."

"This is about you and me, and how marriage is just not right for us."

"I wish you would have figured that out before you proposed."

"I never proposed!" Tommy exclaimed, his voice finally reaching proper argument-volume. "We just agreed because it MADE SENSE! It was LOGICAL! And now, you and I both know that's no foundation for a marriage."

Kat stared back at him defiantly, her arms crossed, placing her weight on her back leg. Her face was tear-streaked but her eyes were unyielding. She halted temporarily, trying to control her spiraling emotions. When she finally spoke, she sounded calm and collected despite her trembling lower lip. "Just answer me one thing, Tommy… Who's going to be there next time? Who will be there to pick up the pieces when she breaks your heart yet again?" She waited for a response for a moment, and as soon as she sensed an argument on his lips, she proceeded. "Don't tell me it won't happen, because you know it will. It's inevitable. She doesn't love you like I do. And you've just burned your bridge with me."

She turned on her heel, leaving Tommy alone with his final argument. As she reached the door to the hallway, she spoke one last time without turning around. "Enjoy the rest of your lonely life, Tommy. I hope you rot in hell."

With that, she vanished from his sight.

* * *

"Jason, take me home."

The former rangers had gathered in the hallway in front of the nurses' station, wanting to give Tommy and Katherine as much time and space as necessary to have the conversation they all viewed as being inevitable. At the sound of her biting tone, seven pairs of eyes turned in her direction. What they saw was an angry young woman approaching them quickly, and had they not known her they probably would have all perceived her approach as a threat to their safety.

They didn't have to witness the conversation to know what had just transpired.

"Take me home," she repeated steadfastly as she stood in front of him. She paused for only a second before continuing towards Tanya. "I need to go home."

Jason turned his eyes from the disheveled blonde back to the waiting room, where Tommy stood defensively in the doorway. He took several steps in his direction before speaking. "Bro?"

"Jase," Tommy started, as though he was going to say something more meaningful, but he seemed to lose his voice as the young man in red approached.

"What do you want me to do?"

Tommy sighed, watching Katherine cling to Tanya for dear life. "I can't have her here."

"Do you want me to take her home?" he whispered. Tommy nodded, not moving his eyes from the emotional scene playing out before him.

Jason nodded firmly in agreement, but as he turned back to the girls who were now deep in emotive girl-babble, he groaned. Stepping forward quickly, he reached for the collar of Zack's shirt and yanked him to his feet from his slumped position on the floor. "Dude, you gotta go with me."

Zack couldn't deny the urgency in Jason's voice, and his gaze traveled to the young women to his right. He couldn't make out everything they were saying, but Katherine and Tanya were engaged in a hushed heated conversation at a million miles a minute, like all good girlfriends when men caused them pain.

"What, you don't want to climb in the car with the two of them?" Zack questioned with a facetious smile, sure that Tanya would be accompanying her heartbroken friend.

"If I go alone, I'll be castrated by the time we get back to Tommy's. You're going with me."

"What, so we can both be castrated?" Zack rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner and paused to take in the sight of a very disheveled Tommy one last time. "It's been nice knowing you, bro," he said, reaching out to meet his hand in midair. "We might not make it home with these two. Just to lay a little more guilt on you." Zack winked at Tommy as he turned to follow Jason and the girls.

* * *


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Trini slinked down the hallway silently several hours later, her small hands stretched around three delicious cups of cafeteria coffee. She stifled a yawn as she approached the door to the waiting room and caught the eyes of the yellow-clad woman perched just inside the door. "I brought you coffee. Looks like you could use it."

Aisha smiled as she stretched her sore muscles and giggled as her gaze caught Adam and Rocky, both fast asleep in the dreadfully uncomfortable plastic chairs. "I don't know how, but those two can sleep anywhere, anytime." She gratefully accepted the steaming cup from Trini. "Who's the other one for?"

"Tommy… Poor guy hasn't slept well in days."

"It has been an incredibly long couple of days, with the wedding, and the ranger reunion…"

"And the drama…" Trini continued with a slight smirk.

"Yeah, no kidding."

"Do you know where he is?" Trini asked, looking around the otherwise empty room.

"Where do you think?" Aisha replied quickly with a cheeky smile.

Trini smiled knowingly. "Is she awake?"

"No, I think she was for a little while earlier, but I'm pretty sure she's sound asleep now. Much like our friends here," she responded with a wink.

"Okay, I'll be right back."

* * *

The light pouring in from the hallway caused Tommy to jump as the door to Kim's hospital room crept open. He grumbled a greeting as Trini slipped in, not moving from his coiled position in the rigid hospital armchair.

"Figures you'd end up here," Trini mumbled as she extended a cup in his direction. "I thought you might need a pick-me-up."

Tommy grunted a short, contemptuous laugh. "There's not enough coffee in the world for what I need right now."

"What you need is some sleep."

Tommy smiled and bowed his head in agreement. "No rest for the weary, Trini. Besides, I deserve this. I've caused extreme pain to two people I love today."

Trini sighed and swept her eyes over the sleeping form in the hospital bed. "She seems to be sleeping well. It doesn't look like she's in pain now," she observed, noting the peaceful expression on Kimberly's face and consciously ignoring the reference to the other pain Tommy had caused.

"Yeah, the doctors have her doped up on quite a bit of pain medication. Dr. Hastings said she'll probably sleep through the night." Trini smiled warmly as she watched him sweep a strand of hair from her forehead affectionately, away from the stitched laceration. His gaze spoke volumes about his innermost feelings toward the slumbering girl. "She'll be hurting when she wakes up, though."

"She's tough," Trini stated simply, catching a glimpse of Tommy's eyes shining brightly with unshed tears. "You know, Rocky and Adam are passed out in that waiting room, and Aisha's struggling to hold her eyes open. They need some rest almost as bad as you do. Why don't you take everyone home?"

"I can't leave her, Trini. I don't want her to wake up alone."

Trini crouched in front of him and placed a hand on his arm reassuringly. "I'll stay with her, Tommy."

He stared back at Trini's pretty dark eyes, thankful for her compassion despite the events of the day. He wanted to say yes. He wanted more than anything to go home and fall into bed. He only wished that the injured woman next to him who had effectively recaptured his soul, his heart and his mind could fall into bed alongside him.

Trini could sense his longing and pushed onward. "Kim will still be here for you in the morning. And I know you don't want her to see you like this." She assessed him from head to toe, from the matted, rumpled spikes atop his head, to his dirty white tank top, to his freshly torn jeans. "You're a mess, Oliver. Go home."

Tommy smiled softly in appreciation of her candor. "You'll call me if anything happens, right?"

"Of course."

Tommy stood to go, relinquishing his seat to Trini. Before he headed for the door, though, he turned back to Kimberly and fixed his eyes on her once more. He took her hand and ran his thumb delicately over her fingers, then he leaned over and pressed a sweet, tantalizing kiss to her lips. The mere sight was enough to pull the breath from Trini's chest, and the words he spoke next nearly brought tears to her eyes.

"Sleep tight, Beautiful."

With that, Tommy turned and exited, seeking the rest of his sleepy friends.

* * *

After dropping his three friends off at the hotel, Tommy pulled into his own driveway, thankful to find it empty. He was indebted to his friends for their undying support, but right now he needed some time alone with his thoughts.

He stumbled wearily through the door leading from the garage and stepped into the back of his kitchen, directly across from the basement door. Thoughts of his interaction with Kimberly on that very spot the previous morning flooded him with a feeling of both warmth and sadness. Making his way through the kitchen to the living room on his way to the stairs he found himself overwhelmed with a feeling of emptiness, but it wasn't until he reached the fireplace and noticed the bare mantle that the source of this feeling became obvious.

_Weren't there picture frames there before?_

He shook his head and continued toward his destination, discovering a hodgepodge of missing items along the way. His thoughts were spinning wildly, but by the time he reached the base of the stairs he was able to gather his thoughts in a coherent fashion.

"Tommy, she's gone."

Startled, Tommy's eyes shot upward to the source of the voice that confirmed his suspicion, finding Jason slowly making his way down the stairs.

"She and Tanya packed up what they could. She's gone," he repeated remorsefully.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, Zack and I came back with the girls. They made their way through this place like a whirlwind, and we were witness to every second of their rage-filled, tearful, man-hating rant." He shook his head with a shudder as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Anyway, eventually they calmed down a little, and Zack offered to drive them… somewhere. They took off in my truck, and I think they were headed for Kat's parents' house."

"You let him go alone?" Tommy asked disbelievingly, recalling the conversation between Jason and Zack as they left the hospital.

"Well, they had calmed down quite a bit, like I said. Besides, I figured you'd need a stabilizing force when you got home."

Tommy nodded thoughtfully. "I really messed things up this time."

Jason clapped him firmly on the shoulder. "Depends on how you look at it, bro."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you probably saved yourself from a lifelong, loveless marriage. And you reconnected with Kim, which is something we've all been pulling for since day one."

"How do you define 'day one'?"

"Since the day you two broke up." Jason strutted past Tommy confidently. "You know, for a while we had a pool going on how long it would take the two of you to get back together."

Tommy smirked as he followed Jason to the living room and collapsed on the opposite couch. "Yeah? How much was in it? And who won?"

Jason laughed, noting Tommy's blatant attempt to change to a lighter subject. "Probably close to $200… But you two took way too long. I think the longest anyone bet on was six months."

The irony was not lost on Tommy as he thought back briefly over the past ten years he'd spent without her. His eyes turned to Jason, his most trusted friend and advisor. "Jase, what do I do?"

"Well," Jason started contemplatively, "First and foremost, you stop mourning your relationship with Kat."

"I really hurt her."

"Yeah, you did. Trust me, I heard all about it." Tommy smiled apologetically in his direction. "There's nothing you can do to fix that, now. And just like everyone's been telling you for the last few days, you've got to follow your heart. Breaking things off with Kat was the right thing to do, in the long run. You belong with Kim."

Tommy sighed and shook his head. "Ten years… She's been part of my life for ten years, Jase. That's like five times as long as I spent with Kim."

"Dude, when did you get so mathematical? You and I both know that doesn't really matter. Besides, how many of those ten years did you spend secretly pining over Kim?"

Tommy's silence was the only answer Jason needed, and before he could speak the sound of a blaring horn cut through the air, alerting them both to Zack's arrival.

Jason pushed off his knees and stood to leave. "Alright, I'm out of here. I've far surpassed my duties as Best Man, and you need your sleep." He grinned smugly as he reached for Tommy's hand in one of their countless, testosterone-laced handshakes. "Listen to me. Get some sleep. Clean yourself up. Put on one of your characteristic ultra-tight t-shirts, and go pick Kim up from the hospital in the morning." He stepped back towards the doorway, but before leaving he turned back and made one last plea. "Fix this, Tommy. Make things right in our world. Get yourself back together with Kim."

* * *

"Unnhhh… Trini? Is that you?"

"Kim! You're awake!" Trini exclaimed excitedly, leaping from her lethargic position on the hideous armchair.

"What, uh… What's going on?"

"Well, what do you remember?"

Kimberly worked frantically to shake the cloud from her mind as she replayed everything she could recollect. "I think it'd be easier if you just fill me in."

"Well, let's work backwards," she started, hovering over her good friend's bed. "You're in a hospital."

"Yeah, I got that," she mumbled sleepily.

"And you've got quite the list of injuries, my dear. A concussion, a fractured clavicle, broken ribs, sprained shoulder… I guess you really hit that rock wall pretty hard, huh?"

"Yeah, I remember that, too."

"Everyone's been so worried about you. We've been here all day."

"Yeah? Where is everyone?" Kim asked expectantly, trying to pull herself to a seated position.

"Well… I kind of sent everyone home to get some sleep, including one dark, handsome, broody, multi-colored ranger that was glued to this very chair."

Kim giggled at Trini's description of the man she loved more than she was willing to admit. "Glued, huh? How'd Kat take that?"

Trini's voice caught in her throat, and she paused for just a minute, long enough to give Kim a glimpse of the gripping truth that had affected all of them. "Well, as compared to Tommy calling off their wedding and essentially breaking things of with her, I think she took the 'glued to the chair' thing rather well."

"What?!?" Kim exclaimed, sitting straight up in bed, ignoring the throbbing pain that threatened to consume her. "He really told her that?"

"Yep."

"When? Why? How?"

Trini giggled, amused at her friend's obvious bewilderment. "Well, 'when' was a few hours ago, while you were asleep. Unfortunately I can't answer the 'how'. I was only present before and after, but I'd love to know how the actual conversation took place myself." She made strong eye contact with her friend as she continued. "I think we both know the 'why'."

Kim settled back into the bed, trying to make herself as comfortable as possible. "So I've been branded as the homewrecker, huh?"

"Not exactly. I think this was expected by almost everyone."

"Yeah, everyone but Katherine."

"I think Tanya was actually caught off-guard more than Katherine was. But either way… None of us were really that surprised." Trini sunk back into the chair, bringing her just below eye-level with her good friend. "So, now… I need juicy details."

Kim blushed and looked away. "Like what?" she replied innocently.

"Don't give me that crap, Kim. You've been dying to talk to me about this all day. I know you too well."

Her cover blown, Kim laughed as she began to speak. "Well, we got trapped in the storm. The power went out."

"How convenient," Trini uttered, an amused smirk on her face.

"Yeah, I know, exactly. Anyway, we talked… A lot. We cleared the air, killed off a couple bottles of wine and before I knew it, we were kissing and fondling and…" She shivered pleasantly, remembering the previous evening. "The whole night was like swimming upstream. We both tried to fight it, but we just… just couldn't."

"What about Jake?"

Kim sighed. "The guy hasn't even had the decency to call me back for the last three days. I'm not sure he's even worth factoring in here. I'm more concerned about Tommy's relationship with Kat than mine with Jake."

"So what do you think will happen with you and Tommy now?"

Kim shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know how serious he really is about us, and we still live on opposite sides of the country… There's a lot we have to figure out. He and I haven't really had a chance to hash all that out, and I don't know when we'll have a chance."

"Oh, I think he'll make time."

A warm smile swept across Kimberly's cheeks as she pulled her eyes from Trini's. She hated admitting how much power she still had over Tommy, because that confession meant she would have to acknowledge how deep their ties truly ran. Kimberly couldn't help feeling that she wasn't ready for the emotions Tommy brought out in her, and yet she couldn't give them up now if her life depended on it.

A firm knock at the door jarred Kimberly from her thoughts. "Come in!" Trini called pleasantly.

"Well, good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Or should I say, 'good evening'?" Zack spoke cheerfully with a bright smile.

"Hi guys!" Kim greeted her visitors happily as Jason and Zack made their way into the room.

"Glad to see you decided to join the world of consciousness," Jason added, perching on the arm of Trini's chair.

"Yeah, well, with all the excitement going on around here, I don't see how I could resist."

"Yeah, you heard about all that, huh?"

"Tommy calling off his wedding? Yep, heard all about it."

"Well, if you ever decide you want to hear about the aftermath, just let us know. Jase and I can fill you in on every last detail."

Kimberly smiled sweetly at the two men. "Sorry you guys had to deal with all that."

"Oh, anything for you," Zack said jokingly, squeezing her hand. "It'll only take a few years of therapy to undo the damage."

"Oh, shush," she responded with a roll of her eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

"Drugged," Kim retorted with a short laugh. "No really, though… I'm in a little bit of pain, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"So, you're getting discharged tomorrow morning. Are you okay on your own for the night until we come back for you tomorrow?" Trini asked, standing to leave with the boys.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," she responded, still feeling slightly dazed from the pain meds. "Who's the lucky one that's stuck coming to get me?"

Trini and Zack, now standing next to each other, exchanged glances. "Well, I can do it…"

"Yeah, I don't mind either,"

"I've got a car…"

"Well, I can…"

Jason hushed both of his friends by standing up and placing a hand firmly on each of their shoulders as he looked back at Kim. "All you need to worry about is getting better. We'll take care of the rest."

"That's all I need to know." Kimberly favored her friends with a bright smile. "Thanks, guys. You're all too good to me."

"We do what we can," Zack replied, reaching out to hug her. Trini and Jason followed his lead, and after wishing her a goodnight her three friends vanished from sight.

* * *

_I assure you, we haven't seen the last of Kat! I know the confrontation between Tommy and Kat seemed a little rushed, but she'll be back - I promise! Besides, I've got to get back to Tommy and Kim... fast!! Thanks again for all the reviews!_


	18. Chapter 18

_Okay, so I know it's been FOREVER! I've been trying to convince myself to sit down and finish this story for a while, and I finally was able to catch up on everything else and write for a while, guilt-free. This story has been alive in my head the whole time, so hopefully it still flows well on paper. And hopefully you're all still out there and at least somewhat interested in the conclusion... There's more to come!!_

_BTW, part of the reason I was drawn away was the gosh-darn Twilight series! I kept meaning to read them, and I finally did. TOTALLY SWEPT AWAY! I'm hoping to try my hand at some Twilight fanfiction after I finish this saga. Thanks for reading!  
_

**Chapter 18**

Kimberly rose before the sun the following morning. Not being a fan of the hazy, groggy feel that accompanied her pain medication, she was trying to do without it as much as possible. As a result she spent much of the night tossing and turning, which only exemplified her discomfort. She needed a shower, a good night's sleep and a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

The only problem was she had no idea where she'd be going to fulfill these needs. There was no way she could fly home today. Just the thought of getting on a plane with this blinding headache was unbearable. That left two options – Tommy's house, or the hotel where all her friends were. Clearly she had a preference, but she hadn't had contact with Tommy – at least, not that she could remember - since he delivered her at the hospital the previous day, and despite Trini's slight briefing she felt out of the loop. For all she knew, Tommy had gone home, thought things through, and was now engaging in smoldering hot make-up sex with his almost wife.

Yes, she'd love to go to Tommy's house. But until she talked to him, she couldn't count on it.

"My, my, you're up early. That makes my job easier."

Kimberly turned at the sound of the motherly voice approaching and greeted the shift nurse with a smile. Her name was Julie, and Kimberly had the pleasure of meeting her during the night in one of her many bouts of sleeplessness. She was a middle-aged woman with a kind spirit and warm, comforting eyes. She was not the snappy, exhausted, overworked nurse that was so often portrayed on TV. Kim got the sense she genuinely enjoyed her job. She studied the older woman carefully as she checked her blood pressure. _She probably has a wonderful husband, two beautiful children, a gorgeous home… and I'd bet she's never destroyed a marriage, _ Kimberly mused with just a tinge of envy.

"How did you sleep?" Julie asked.

Kim shrugged with her good shoulder. "When I was sleeping, I slept well. I just didn't stay asleep long."

"Are you sure you don't want any medication, dear? You've got a few hours before discharge. It would help you sleep."

"Could I have a smaller dose or something? I just… I need my head clear today."

Julie laughed lightly. "You have a concussion. A clear head might be difficult to come by. But I'll bring you a smaller dose. Anything else I can get for you?"

"Well, not that I don't _love_ the company," Kim continued with a smirk, "but when can I be discharged?"

"Dr. Hastings' rounds start at nine. As soon as he checks you out, you should be good to go. Your vitals have been fine all night." Julie made some quick notes on her chart. "What time will your husband be here?"

"Husband?"

Julie giggled. "Oh dear, don't tell me you've forgotten. Maybe we should call for a psych eval."

"I don't have a husband."

"Well then who was the nice young man who was by your side almost all afternoon?"

Kimberly blushed at the obvious misunderstanding. "Oh, no, he's just, um… a friend. A good friend."

"A _very_ good friend," Julie replied with a raise of the eyebrow, recalling the weary, troubled expression on the young man's face.

"I don't know who's coming to get me. It might be him. It might be one of my other friends. We'll see," she said casually.

Julie paused as she headed for the door and turned back to the young girl. "Kim, just so you know, I've been doing this a long time."

"I figured."

"I've seen lots of husbands, lots of lovers, and lots of friends. Now, of course, these are just my two cents, so take it or leave it. That man may not be your husband legally, but in spirit…" she trailed off with a mysterious nod.

Kim flushed at her incredibly accurate insight and cast a bright, grateful smile at this woman that she'd managed to bond with despite their minimal amount of interaction. "Thanks. Julie."

"Anytime. I'll be right back with your meds."

* * *

It was amazing how quickly Kim's eyes drifted closed after just a single pill. Her mind, which had been clouded with insecurity about her newly forged relationship with Tommy and questions about his current status with Katherine finally fell silent and she dozed off. She enjoyed a deep, quiet, dreamless sleep until…

_BBRRRRRIIIINGG!!_

Her eyelids pulled apart only slightly at the screaming wail of the phone next her bed. Lazily she rolled just enough to hook one finger around the receiver and lift it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Beautiful."

In that instant Kimberly's eyes shot open as she drowned herself in the best pain reliever she'd ever experienced. The affectionate undertones in Tommy's strong voice answered every question and quelled every insecurity she'd been battling all night. She smiled subconsciously against the phone. "Well, good morning yourself. How are you this morning?"

"Lonely. You?"

"Lonely, battered and bruised."

He laughed earnestly. "You always have to one-up me, don't you?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Well, I can't do much about the 'battered and bruised', but I'm on my way there to bring you home so maybe we can both stop being lonely."

She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully, considering the underlying insinuations his words carried. "Yeah? Whose 'home'?" she asked playfully, fully anticipating his answer.

"Mine, you dork. At least for now."

She didn't dwell on the end of his comment, knowing full well it would more than likely be a topic of conversation for later. "I haven't been discharged yet. You may be stuck here for a little while."

"Hey, if it were up to me I would have been stuck there all night."

"Yeah, I hear Trini had to lay down the law. She sent you home to get some sleep." She squinted at the clock on the wall before scolding, "It's not even nine yet! What are you doing up so early?"

"As it turns out, I had some trouble sleeping."

Kimberly nodded, immersing herself in the heavy silence that followed. She wondered how many more sleepless nights the two of them would share before this was all over. "Are you bringing me clothes? This ugly hospital gown isn't exactly appropriate to wear in public."

"Unfortunately, yes, I am bringing you clothes. I was kind of looking forward to the paper gown, though."

She rolled her eyes. "Men. Anyway, I'll see you soon?"

"As soon as humanly possible."

"Bye, Tommy."

"Bye, Kim."

It wasn't five minutes after she dropped the phone into its cradle and reclined comfortably on her bed that the door swung open and Tommy appeared with an amused smile on his face.

"Hey! That… How… Where did you call me from?"

"The lobby downstairs," he said offhandedly as he dropped her overnight bag he'd gathered from the guest room. "I wanted to make sure you wanted to see me."

"Of course I wanted to see you!" Her words were no understatement. He looked simply spectacular today, in a basic black polo and jeans that reminded her what a great ass he had. He was wearing a small pair of wire-rimmed glasses, and Kim realized she'd never seen him wear them. _He pulls off the professor-look __really__ well, _ her mind shouted, causing her to clench her lower lip between her teeth while she scoped him out. She wanted to bury her face against his rock-solid chest, wrap herself in his chiseled arms and let him carry her away.

"I just figured since I let you fall off a cliff and all…"

"Oh, shush. You did not let me fall off a cliff. I slipped while rock climbing, that's all," she insisted, reminding him of what they'd told the ER nurses when she was admitted.

He favored her with a smile and dug in his pocket for a second before collapsing into the chair. "Here, I brought you this too," he said, handing her her cell phone. "Heard from Mr. Wonderful yet?" he asked sarcastically as she examined her phone.

"Yeah, I just got off the phone with him a minute ago," she said with a smile and a wink, pointing to the phone beside her bed.

"Cor-ny," he chanted, stretching his arms and then cradling them behind his head.

"Kimberly Hart?"

Her eyes darted upward to the man who had appeared at the doorway. "Hi, Dr. Hastings."

"How are we feeling this morning?"

"Eh, I've been better… But at least I can keep my eyes open for more than five minutes at a time."

"Well, let's just check out that shoulder out and you should be able to be on your way," he replied, barely glancing up from her chart.

"Okay, I'm gonna go grab a cup of coffee," Tommy interjected, rising to his feet. "Want anything?"

She shook her head as she watched him step toward her. He moved as though it was a routine ingrained in his mind by years of practice as he placed a hand on her shoulder and angled his head towards hers. Kimberly caught him with a hand against his muscular chest. "Uhh, you might not want to do that. I probably stink, and I'm sure I look like hell."

His eyes, now only inches from hers, twinkled devilishly as he stared back at her. His lips pursed in a mild grin, and he shook his head slowly and wordlessly as he pushed forward and captured her lips in a sweet kiss, which she eagerly returned.

"Be right back," he breathed as he separated from her and walked toward the door.

* * *

Tommy returned a short time later to find Kimberly dressed in form-fitting, light-colored blue jeans and a maroon 'Team USA' t-shirt. Her right arm was now cradled in a hospital-issued sling and her feet, now clad in bright white socks swung freely over the edge of the bed. Her eyes glimmered with the energy of a small child, and her bright grin brought a similar one to his face. "Does this mean you're ready to go?"

"Yeah." Her tired voice contradicted the liveliness of her physical being, and Tommy cast her a sympathetic grin. "I just… it took forever for me to get dressed with this shoulder. I'm pretty much one-handed, which makes me pretty damn useless. You're gonna have to give me a minute to work on the shoes," she warned, gesturing to the sneakers lying beneath her feet.

"I'll do you one better," he replied, setting his coffee on the table before dropping to his knees at her feet.

Kim's eyes drifted closed as a smile spread across her face. "You are too good to me, Mr. Oliver," she muttered as he eased her right foot into her sneaker. He pulled her foot onto his bent knee and tied it for her before reaching for her left foot. Kim watched him in fascination, thinking about how different the last couple of days had been from what she had expected when she'd boarded the plane in Miami.

"What did the doctor say?" he asked without looking up.

"Hmm?"

"The doctor? Discharge orders?"

She sighed. "No cast for my shoulder. There is a minor fracture, but he said if I keep it immobile it should heal up okay. And I shouldn't sleep alone."

Tommy dropped his hands from her partially-tied left shoe before looking up at her in shock. "He did NOT say that."

"Yes, he did," she pressed deviously. "He said the whole 'two hours of sleep at a time' thing is a little more stringent than necessary, but apparently it's still not a good idea to sleep too much with a concussion." She smirked triumphantly. "So I guess I'll need someone to look over me… someone to make sure I wake up."

Tommy glared back at her warily, clearly displeased with how lightly she was handling the situation. "Kim, I still can't believe I let this happen to you. I'm so…"

"Don't you dare," she insisted. "I'm fine."

Tommy opened his mouth to protest when the pleasant chime of Kim's cell phone interrupted him. She reached for it instinctually as Tommy pushed himself up from the floor, his task complete.

"Oh, you GOT to be kidding me!" she exclaimed, studying the still-ringing phone.

"What?"

"It's Jake."

Kim's eyes darted from the small black phone to Tommy's darkened expression, unconsciously searching for an answer to her unspoken question.

"Are you going to answer it?"

Kim's eyes shot back to the phone, confused by Tommy's response. She set her jaw firmly as her mind fought through the thin veil from the pain meds. "Um, I guess…"

Before she could act, though, the phone was gone, snatched from her hand with the lightening-fast speed of a man who had spent most of his life training in ninja-like agility. Too shocked to speak, Kim watched as Tommy flipped the phone open and pressed it to his own ear. His lips spread in an unnerving smile as he answered. "Hi! Is this Jake?"

Kim remained motionless on the edge of the bed, watching Tommy as he clearly waited for a response. She fought against the urge to spring at him and grab the phone away. She knew she'd end up injuring herself worse, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was anxious to see what was about to unfold.

"Oh, so this is the douchebag she's dating… You don't mind if I call you 'douchebag', do you?"

Kim grimaced, squinting her eyes closed. She'd never known Tommy to be so abrasive.

"Well, just so you know," he started again after another long pause, "Kim's here with me. She's in the hospital. She's hurt, and I'm taking care of her. Not that you care, since you've been blowing her off for days… Me? Don't you worry about who I am. That part doesn't matter. What does matter is… What's that? No, no, _you_ listen to _me…_ Do not call this number again. Are we clear? You abandoned your supposed girlfriend, who I happen to care very much about, and now that you've managed to get around to… Okay, fine. I've wasted enough time on you as it is. But before I let you go…"

Tommy paused again, making careful eye contact with Kim. She was perched nervously on the edge of the mattress, her lips pressed into a firm line but her eyes smiling brightly. He spun away from her and pressed the phone more firmly to his cheek, taking a deep breath before speaking again.

"I don't know how you could ignore her for days. I don't know how you could go that long without thinking about her. But she deserves better. You know that. I know that. So…"

Kim had leaned so far from the edge of the bed that even her perfect balance wouldn't keep her upright much longer. She was torn between applauding and sobbing as her imagination filled in Jake's side of the conversation. She was dying to know what Tommy was about to say. If he thought his hunched posture and whispered tone was going to keep her from eavesdropping, he was sadly mistaken.

Suddenly Tommy straightened and whirled to face her again, a wistful expression breaking through his hardened features. Kim breathed a sigh of relief. The tense, confrontational disposition was unnatural for the Tommy she remembered.

"Yes, she's okay." He smiled softly in her direction, seemingly amused by the new tone of the conversation. "I'll tell her. You take care." And with that, he flipped the phone shut and tossed it nonchalantly in her direction. It landed on the bed with a soft thud.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed.

Tommy shoved his hands deep in his pockets and looked down at his feet. "Sorry, I guess I got carried away."

"I'd say."

Tommy pulled his eyes back up to hers and stepped cautiously across the room. To his relief, her mouth twisted in a half-smile, and her eyes continued to welcome him forward. "He wanted to know if you were okay."

"Yeah, I caught that."

"And he said to tell you, 'It's been fun.'"

Kim scoffed and rolled her eyes. "See? I told you."

"Told me what?" he asked sincerely, perching gently on the bed beside her.

"Jake was nothing serious. Fun, that's all. But not a bad guy. Definitely not a douchebag"

Tommy winced. "Sorry about that."

She giggled softly, letting her dark brown hair fall gently across her forehead. "It's alright. Your heart was in the right place."

He caught her chin and angled it gently in his direction, using his other hand to brush her hair from her face. "And I hope you'll let it stay in the right place." He pressed his lips against hers in a gentle, lingering kiss, allowing himself to memorize the soft texture of her delicate mouth.

When the two separated, he grinned brightly as she sucked in a deep breath. That was exactly the effect he was hoping to have. He reached for her good hand and led her off the bed. "Let's go home."

* * *

_Still more to come! I'll try to finish the next one much more quickly._


	19. Chapter 19

_So, once again, sorry for the long delay. I've noticed a renewed interest in this story, which renewed my interest in continuing to write it. So, thank you to those of you out there still reading! I do have every intention of finishing... But I won't commit to a solid timeline so I don't end up disappointing you all. My apologies! Thanks again for reading and reviewing!  
_

_And, by the way, I own nothing, including the characters discussed here.  
_

**Chapter 19  
**

Kimberly sank deeper into the steamy bath, allowing the pressure from the whirlpool jets sooth her aching shoulder. With her body relaxed and her eyes closed in the quiet solitude of Tommy's master bathroom, she allowed her thoughts to wander to Tommy himself. They had fallen into such a natural relationship since she'd been back, from casual flirtation to their steamy (albeit brief) makeout session the other night. It all felt so right, like it had been meant to be all along.

Yes, it would be easy to fall into a relationship with Tommy. Instinctive, even. But would it be right?

It was this question that troubled Kimberly currently, and had been nagging her since they'd arrived at Tommy's an hour earlier. After pulling into the driveway, he'd helped her from the car chivalrously and carried her things into the house. Once inside, he dropped her bag in the entryway, wrapped his arms around her gently and whispered in her ear, igniting a spark deep within her – and unfortunately, also igniting this irritating voice in the deep recesses of her mind.

"I'm so sorry, Beautiful. I never should have let this happen."

"It's okay. I'm… I'm okay…" she mumbled softly, working to control her racing heart.

"But you're not okay, Kim, and it's my fault," he responded, his fingers dancing lightly over the brace that held her shoulder in place. He shifted his head slightly and planted a soft kiss on her forehead before continuing. "You're hurt because I didn't protect you."

"It doesn't always have to be your job to protect me."

She sensed his smile; whether it was from his voice or his lips pressed to the top of her head she wasn't sure. "I'd like it to be my job. And I promise to keep you safe from now on."

_From now on._ Those were the words that had lingered with her since that moment.

Tommy left her alone then to call the gymnastics studio in Florida. After disclosing the details of her injury, the head coach made her promise that she'd take as much time as necessary to ensure a full recovery and wished her well, promising they'd be happy to have her back whenever she felt good enough to return.

And so here she was, with Tommy… semi-indefinitely. _From now on._ The question was, on to when?

She sighed contently, her chin hovering just above the surface of the warm water. This was exactly what her aching body needed right now, and she was incredibly thankful that when she trotted upstairs after her phone call she'd found Tommy filling this amazing whirlpool tub for her.

It was things like this that made her future with Tommy seem so obvious. And truthfully, she wanted nothing more but to share a serious, adult relationship with Tommy. But she knew, despite how comfortable they each seemed with their current relationship roles, that life was not that simple. There was a giant hole in the middle of their story, a hole 10-plus years wide. And Tommy was just coming out of a very serious relationship – one that surely came complete with plenty of baggage. Whether he knew it or not, he needed some time to come to terms with the end of his and Kat's relationship.

With a decisive smile she allowed herself to sink below the surface of the water. She and Tommy would be fine as long as they took their relationship slowly – and with any luck, Tommy would agree.

* * *

Tanya took advantage of the brief elevator ride to the sixth floor to close her eyes and squeeze the bridge of her nose. The last few days had really taken their toll on her and everyone around her, and she found herself shouldering the burden for everyone.

"Girl, you okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine," she said, pulling open her eyes. "Just a long couple of days."

"I hear ya there," Aisha replied. She looked equally weary, and Tanya was thankful she had been willing to come along today.

The elevator dinged and both girls stepped out into a long corridor lined with apartments. They stopped together in front of a door near the middle of the hall. Loud music rumbled from inside, and the two girls shared a wary glance. Then Tanya stepped forward and rapped on the door.

"Kat? Kat, are you there? It's us!"

The music started to roar more loudly. Aisha rolled her eyes. "She just turned it up. She's _purposely _ignoring us."

Tanya shook her head. "We're not going away, Kitty-Kat. Open up!" She pounded with her whole fist and Aisha followed her lead.

"We're not leaving! Your neighbors will be pissed soon! But we're still not leaving!"

The pounding continued for several more minutes, much to the displeasure of neighbors on either side of Kat's apartment. Finally, the music ceased and the door opened reluctantly.

On the other side stood Katherine, her face streaked with tears and remnants of eye makeup. Her blonde hair hung limply alongside her face, and she was dressed in a baggy gray t-shirt and a pair of old jeans. Tanya choked back a giggle. "Girl, you are the epitome of pitiful right now." Her comment earned her a elbow in the ribs from Aisha, and an eye roll from Kat.

"Did you just stop by to insult me?" She turned and retreated into her apartment, but left the door open allowing both girls to follow her in.

"What happened in here?" Aisha muttered as they stepped in hesitantly and watched Katherine disappear into the bathroom. "It looks like a tornado came through! Was it like this when you dropped her off last night?"

"I have no idea. Jason dropped us off at her parents' house. Then Kat's dad drove me home. I don't even know when she came back here." They continued to step delicately through a maze of half-filled packing cartons, piles of dishes and heaps of clothing.

"So really, why are you here?"

Kat re-emerged from the dark hallway, startling both girls. She moved gracefully through the mess to the only clear spot on the couch, leaving Tanya and Aisha to fend for themselves.

"We're your friends. We came to check on you," Tanya said gently as she grabbed an empty milk crate, flipped it over and sat down. Aisha in the meantime managed to dig a small stool out from under the mess and used it to take her place alongside Tanya.

"Well, you've checked. And you've seen that I'm a wreck."

"Kat…" Aisha started sympathetically, and then quickly realized she didn't know what to say, so she quickly changed directions. "What happened in here?"

She sighed. "I gave up my apartment months ago. I was supposed to be all settled in at Tommy's by now. My lease is up at the end of this week, and I've got to get out."

"Where are you gonna go?" Tanya prodded.

Kat shrugged apathetically. "I have no idea. Probably my mom's for now."

"Well, it looks like you could use some help. How about we stick around and help you pack?"

Aisha fought back a groan at Tanya's suggestion. It had been days since she'd slept in her own bed, and she wanted nothing more than to head home to a hot shower and the deepest sleep she could imagine. However, she knew Tanya was right – their friend needed help. And so with a smile on her face, she enthusiastically agreed.

"Oh, you guys don't have to do that. I'm fine, really."

"You just said you were a wreck," Aisha reminded her. "And we don't blame you for being one. You, out of all of us have had the week from hell. So, break out a bottle of wine, get us some boxes, and let's get started on this mess."

For the first time all afternoon, a small smile crept over Katherine's face, and she nodded in reluctant agreement.

* * *

Tommy lay casually on his bed, half-reading the day's paper. His eyelids were heavy and he was fighting slumber with every ounce of willpower in his body. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a decent night's sleep. The only thing keeping him going right now was the anticipation of seeing what was behind his bathroom door. He heard the tub start draining a few minutes ago; he was sure she'd appear soon.

He didn't have to wait long to be rewarded for his patience. The bathroom door crept open slowly and Kimberly appeared, wrapped in a large fluffy bath towel. Her eyes met his and she smiled nervously, clenching the corner of her lip between her teeth. His approving gaze cast a faint blush across her cheeks and she had no choice but to avert her eyes from the warmth of his gentle brown orbs. "Hey," she murmured.

"Hey yourself," he replied, pushing himself upward into a sitting position. "How was the bath?"

"Mmm, amazing," she purred, moving toward her bag on the floor next to his bed. He continued to watch her intently, wincing slightly when he caught sight of the bands of bruising across her shoulder.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good. Tired, but way less pain."

He nodded. "I'm glad. And I'm awfully tired myself. How do you feel about an afternoon nap?"

She smiled as she dug some clothing and a hairbrush from her bag, then she bent over and planted a gentle kiss on his lips. "Sounds great. I'll be right out." And with that she disappeared into the bathroom again, leaving Tommy to exhale the breath he felt like he'd been holding since she stepped through that door.

Once hidden from his view, Kim dropped the towel and planted both her hands firmly on the counter. "Pull it together, Hart," she hissed at herself in the mirror. Suddenly, her 'taking it slow' plan seemed to be much easier said than done. Tommy looked like an absolute god out there on that bed, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up beside him and let him take her.

After a couple deep, soothing breaths she managed to pull herself together. She gently pulled on a white tank top and a pair of pajama shorts, then ran her brush through her hair as carefully as possible and fastened her shoulder brace back in place. With one final reassuring glance in the mirror she walked back into his room.

He greeted her with a smile that threatened to bring her to her knees, but she responded with a smile that was equally bright as she moved swiftly to the opposite side of the bed and crawled in beside him. She paused only briefly on her own pillow before scooting closer to him and laying her head on his shoulder. His arm lifted to accommodate her and wrapped around her gently, his hand coming to rest on the middle of her back. The two lay in silence for a few moments, Tommy's exhaustion seemingly vanished as he reveled in the presence of the woman beside him. Finally, he broke the silence, sure that if he didn't speak soon he would have to occupy his lips in some other way. "So, I've been thinking…" he trailed off intentionally.

"Yeah? Me too," she spoke softly, moving her free hand to rest over his chest.

"Ladies first, then."

She took a deep breath and shifted closer to him, almost as though she were afraid he'd jump and run away from her. "This feels so right, and so good… And even though I hate the way it had to happen, I'm glad you and I have been able to reconnect."

"Me too," he interjected. "But…" he prompted, sensing the word dangling on her lips.

She smiled at his intuitiveness and turned her head to look him in the eye. "But we have a lot of catching up to do, and I know you just got out of a pretty serious relationship. I want to be with you… But I think we need to rebuild what I know is going to be a great relationship slowly."

He grinned widely and placed his hand over hers on his chest. "Want to hear what I was thinking?"

"Yeah," she replied, a little frustrated that he hadn't responded to what she'd just proposed.

"I was thinking that I want nothing more than to make love to you all night tonight and every night for the rest of my life."

Kim drew in a shaky breath. "But…"

He giggled slightly and stroked the top of her hand. "But," he said emphatically, "I still have some loose ends I'd like to take care of with Kat, and it just doesn't feel right until then. And if there's anything I want, it's for my first time with you to be right." He stared down at her for a brief moment, then continued. "Besides, you're all broken right now. I wouldn't want to hurt you."

She laughed that melodic laugh that drove him wild, thankful for the break in tension. "You're probably right."

"Ah, you're finally learning," he said playfully, before turning sincere once more. "I was serious about what I said yesterday. I have no intention of letting you go again. But like you said, I want to build us back up on a strong foundation. And strong foundations are built… slowly."

She smiled again and managed to roll herself over on to his chest and hover over him. "I love you." Then a moment later, she reconsidered. "Was that too fast?"

He laughed whole-heartedly now as he wrapped his arms around her and rolled her gently back to the bed, his face inches from hers. "No, Beautiful. I love you too." And with that, he quickly closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to hers in a deep, soulful kiss.

When they separated, each more breathless than they had been moments ago, he pushed himself back to his pillow and wrapped one arm protectively around her. "Get some sleep," he whispered, fully intending to take his own advice.

* * *

"Alright, Kat, get some sleep," Tanya advised, wrapping her arms around her friend's shoulders. In the hours the three girls spent laughing, drinking and doing a little bit of packing, both Tanya and Aisha felt they'd made quite a bit of progress pulling Kat back to the surface. She was laughing and smiling by the time they walked out the door, but something was still bothering Tanya. There was still something just slightly off about her best friend, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Aisha reassured, taking her turn to hug Katherine before following Tanya out the door.

"Goodnight, ladies, and thanks for your help," Katherine said softly, waving to her friends and closing the door quietly behind them.

Once they were gone, Katherine turned and headed back into her significantly-improved apartment. "That was nice of them," she muttered, stepping into the bathroom. "But, I don't think I could keep up the 'pitiful' act one more moment. I'm glad they're gone," she said, seemingly to no one in particular. She pulled a washcloth from the bathroom cabinet, ran it under the warm water in the sink and began dabbing at the black smudges around her eyes. She laughed at herself as she did so. "I guess I went over the top with this. Who really wears eye makeup sitting around the house crying about a breakup?"

Clean-faced, Katherine stepped into her bedroom. The lament-filled, weepy girl from a few hours ago was gone – and truthfully, had never really been there in the first place. Instead, Katherine was filled with a hollowness that she'd never felt before. Completely devoid of any type of emotion she perched on the edge of her bed and reached for a nearby pile of clothes.

Hidden underneath was a small, clear globe.

She lifted the ball into her hands in front of her face, and the image inside began to bend and shift. When finally the person inside came into view, she smiled.

"Hello, my lord…"

"Good evening, my darling," the man with the metal deformation along the side of his face greeted her. "Tell me, how are things going with your friends?"

She smiled deviously, and a small purr escaped from deep within her. "Perfectly according to plan."


	20. Chapter 20

_Hope you enjoy! Some parts came out a little more 'saccharine' than I was planning, but hopefully you'll indulge in some Tommy-Kim sweetness. Thanks for reading!_

**Chapter 20**

Tanya bounced into Katherine's apartment Saturday evening, fully rested and re-energized. Finally she and Katherine were escaping the abyss of her nearly empty apartment and heading out for a much needed night on the town. It had been exactly a week since Tommy and Kat's foiled wedding, but it felt like it had been a lifetime. "Hey pretty lady, you ready?" she called in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, just give me a minute," her response rang out from the vicinity of her bedroom.

Tanya shrugged and made her way to the kitchen, hoping she could find a couple of shot glasses in the few dishes that were left. Over the course of the last few days she and Kat had packed up nearly everything she owned and transported it to her parents' house. Only a few necessities remained in her small living space, and with every box that left Katherine seemed to let go of a piece of the black cloud that had plagued her earlier in the week.

"Did you bring us some pre-party fun?"

Tanya turned to welcome her friend with a shot of tequila, and nearly dropped her prized shot glass-discovery when her gaze fell upon her friend. The tall blonde practically danced into the room dressed in a high neck red top that revealed much of her midriff, and a short, ruffly black skirt that showed off her incredibly long legs, made to look longer by a pair of tall black stilletos. Her hair was arranged in a crown of blonde curls, and her delicate facial features were heavily accentuated with dark eyeliner, rose-colored blush and lipstick as red as her top.

She looked absolutely sinful, and from the devious smile on her face, she knew it.

"Damn, girl!" Tanya exclaimed. "Looks like you're going to take down the town tonight!"

"Well, that's kind of the goal," she replied, happily accepting the offer of tequila. The two girls toasted and swiftly downed their shots. "So I was thinking we'd start out at McCann's," she said, grimacing at the alcohol's burn. "Then we can head… wherever we feel like."

"Sounds good to me," Tanya agreed, pouring another shot for each of them. "To a night of laughing, dancing, and hopefully plenty of free drinks."

Kat raised her glass to meet Tanya's. "Bottoms up!"

McCann's was a small, traditional Irish pub in the heart of downtown. The atmosphere was dim but sizzled with electricity, and most of the patrons were attractive, college-aged men enjoying a laid-back evening with one of the tavern's many microbrews. All of these elements made it the perfect place for Tanya and Katherine to start their quest to drink their worries away.

Tanya was just starting to feel the beginning of a good buzz when she realized she hadn't seen her partner in crime in a while. After excusing herself from conversation with the cute guy to her right, she slid off her barstool, beer in hand and made her way toward the back of the building. The last time she'd seen Kat she'd been absolutely on fire, in the company of three very eligible bachelors who were arguing over who got to buy her next drink. But now, she was nowhere to be found.

Confused, Tanya swept her glance around the back few tables before continuing back toward the restrooms. "Kat?" she called, peeking her head into the ladies' room, but received no response. She turned to head back toward the front when a doorway to her left caught her eye, and on a whim she pushed her way through.

She found herself in a small alleyway behind the bar surrounded by dumpsters and empty kegs – and a dejected-looking Katherine. She sighed and stepped toward her friend, but something caught her mid-step, and she paused still out of Katherine's view.

Something was still bothering her about her best friend. Over the last few days she had worked to push the nagging voice to the back of her mind and ignore it, but suddenly it was screaming at her again. Tanya always listened to her instincts above all else, and she knew now that something was off. She just wished that her instincts would also tell her what to do about it.

With a deep, hesitant breath, she spoke. "Kat? What are you doing out here? You broke the number one girl code!"

She giggled through her tears. "What's that?"

"The buddy system," she replied, stepping tentatively toward her resting place on a pile of boxes. "What's wrong?"

Kat took a deep breath. "I just didn't think this would be so… hard," she sniffled.

"What are you talking about? You had the guys eating out of the palm of your hand back there."

"Yeah, and I kept comparing all of them to Tommy. There's just no comparison." She lowered her head and cradled her chin in her hands with an exasperated sigh.

Tanya wrapped one arm around her friend. "It's never gonna get better if you don't get back out there. I know it's hard, and I know it's gonna take some time... But I'll be here to help you through all of it."

Katherine's eyes shot up and met hers. "Tanya, you're the best friend anyone could ask for, you know that?"

Tanya's defenses temporarily dropped, she smiled and softened at Katherine's words. "Want to get out of here?"

"Absolutely." She reached over and wrapped her arm around Tanya's as the two stood and turned to leave, but she halted abruptly, causing Tanya to turn back. "You trust me, right?"

Tanya frowned, her intuition screaming at her once more as Kat wrapped both arms around her in a hug. She wanted to ask what she meant, but the question died on her lips as the air buzzed around her.

She could have sworn she heard a vicious "meow" right before the two girls disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

They would have gone all the way tonight.

Kimberly mused over the 'could-have-beens' of the evening curled in the corner of Tommy's large couch as she watched him pace back and forth in the foyer. Without a doubt, had they not been interrupted, they both would have gone back on their promise to 'take it slow' without so much as a second glance, and chances are, neither of them would have regretted it in the least.

For the last three days the pair had danced around each other, limiting most of their interaction to flirtatious banter and the occasional fleeting liplock. However, on a handful occasions they had pushed their self-imposed boundaries, dropping their guard and falling prey to their personal desires. One such occasion was fresh in Kim's mind now, and she sighed and took a sip of the water in her hand, hoping to cool herself down.

Thursday evening they settled in on Tommy's living room floor for some Chinese takeout and a movie. Everything had gone smoothly, until Tommy had teased her with a carton of honey garlic chicken, which he knew to be her favorite. When he pulled it away from her, she swatted at it twice before launching a full-fledged attack. After a brief struggle she somehow wound up strewn across his lap, her precious food still out of reach.

With the cunning smile that always seemed to win him over, she shifted until she had one knee placed firmly on either side of him and her face was only inches from his. She was working hard to control her breathing, and from the look on Tommy's face she wasn't sure he was breathing at all. She allowed herself to linger over him for another few seconds, then the tip of her tongue snaked out and dragged across her lower lip. She rested one hand gently on each of his shoulders, then moved in for the kill.

"Are you ready to give it up yet?" she whispered quietly. The glimmer in Tommy's eyes told her he caught her double meaning, and the corner of his mouth twitched upward in a half-smile. She thought for a minute he would take her up on her suggestive offer, but instead he produced the carton from behind his back and relinquished it to her.

"Thank you," she cooed, making no move to evacuate his lap. She felt his strong hands make their way up her back, and she was entirely prepared to drop the container she'd worked so hard to obtain if need be, when suddenly he averted his eyes, almost as if he were trying to break the hypnotic hold she had over him. Smiling, she grazed her fingertips across his cheek and then slowly retreated to her spot on the floor.

The tension lingered between them long into the night and over the course of the next few days, but they didn't take things quite so far again… until tonight.

That morning Tommy had awoken her with the longest, deepest kiss they'd allowed themselves to share since returning from the hospital. After his lips had claimed hers entirely, he slid back slightly, her taste still dancing on his lips. Her eyelids drifted open as her face broke into a wide grin, and she jerked forward, demanding his mouth again.

He giggled softly and pressed one finger to her lips. "I'm taking you out tonight," he declared simply and assertively before brushing his lips against hers one more time and then rolling out of bed swiftly, leaving her craving more.

Nothing more was mentioned of Tommy's plans as they shared breakfast, or as they made their way down to the beach early in the afternoon so Tommy could practice a kata and Kim could take a walk. In fact, that evening when Kimberly pranced down the stairs in a sundress and sandals she still had no idea where they were headed. And the suspense was killing her.

"Where are we going?" she pleaded.

"Nowhere special," he responded with a meek shrug. Despite his nonchalant reply, butterflies fluttered excitedly in her stomach, and she practically skipped out the door toward the car.

They began their night out with dinner at an outdoor café downtown, where Tommy managed to charm the waitress into a private corner table where they could see the last few pink streaks disappear from the sky. Kim found it difficult to focus on the conversation as she watched his every mannerism in detail like a lovesick teenager. She remembered the early days of their relationship, when his very presence doubled her heart rate and he used to stumble over his words anytime he tried to talk to her. He ignited such a sense of excitement in her with everything he did or said.

Sitting here with him tonight, listening to words flow smoothly from his mouth, she couldn't believe there had ever been a time that she would have willingly given up that feeling.

After dinner he led her by the hand down the Santa Cruz boardwalk, gripping her fingertips gently as they made their way past the shops and street performers through the dancing lights from the nearby amusement park attractions. They moved generally without purpose, perusing the local treasures leisurely and enjoying each other's presence all the while until Tommy had a flash of inspiration and tugged Kimberly's hand, urging her in the direction of the amusement park.

"Tommy…" she giggled, working to keep up. "Where are we…" The question died on her lips as the ferris wheel came into view, and she snuggled against his side as they took their place at the end of the line.

The last time they'd ridden a ferris wheel together had been just after Tommy had regained his Green Ranger powers. Having already confessed their true feelings and sharing a sweet kiss on the shore of the lake, they found themselves in an awkward gray area of their budding relationship when Tommy returned to the team. Both wanted to move forward, but after having been apart so long neither of them was sure just how to do so.

It was on a trip to the county fair with the whole team that Tommy and Kim found themselves sharing a seat on the ferris wheel, and it was there that he finally found the courage to take her hand and whisper that he'd missed her, and he hoped they could pick up where they left off. She grinned and nodded, thankful that they were on the same page, and he giggled nervously as he bent and pressed his lips to hers, as sweetly as he had that first time at the lake.

"Come on," he said with a nudge, breaking her reminiscent daze and leading her up to the boarding platform.

Once seated, he shifted and scooted close to her as the wheel began its rotation. "Kim…" he said softly, running his thumb gently over the top of her hand.

"Yeah?" she replied, her voice quivering. She could somehow sense that the mood of the evening had shifted, from playful and flirtatious to something deeper, more serious.

"Nothing," he said, fixing his chocolate gaze on her. "I just can't really believe you're here, and I can't believe…" He shook his head, gracing her with a small smile. "Everything's just changed so much, so fast… I can't believe it."

She nodded and leaned in closer to him. "Believe it," she whispered in a way that stirred Tommy into action almost against his will. His lips crashed into hers, molding themselves into every crease of her tantalizing mouth. Her hands shot upward and cupped his face, leaving his hand free to fall on her bare knee. The gentle breeze found them at the top of the wheel, tousling her hair and submerging Tommy in her scent. He found it absolutely intoxicating, and he pulled her closer, delving his tongue deep into her mouth and driving his hand up higher on her thigh.

The feel of his firm hand against the soft skin of her upper thigh elicited her soft moan against his mouth. His tongue and his hands were much bolder than they had been the last time they'd kissed at the top of a ferris wheel, and suddenly she wanted to stay on this particular ride forever.

_No, scratch that thought, _she quickly self-corrected, acknowledging her sudden desire to climb on top of him and allow those hands to explore all of her – an act that simply wouldn't be possible with a dumb restraint bar in their way.

When finally a need for oxygen drove the pair apart, they separated with a 'whoosh' of air as they each sucked in a much-needed deep breath. His hands still holding her firmly, she pressed her forehead to his as her face broke into a beaming grin.

"Know what I was thinking about earlier?" she said breathily, still working to regain composure.

"What's that?"

"I never should have broken up with you. Ever. I can't believe I did it. Dumbest move ever," she stated quickly and simply, locking eyes with his.

He shook his head fervently, laughing slightly at her erratic confession. "You wanna play that game? I can't believe I let you go. And I can't believe I let you stay gone. But that's all in the past now. No more looking back, and no more regrets."

She nodded in agreement as the ride slowed to a stop. She smoothed her dress over her lap as they approached the lower platform and he slid back, hoping that the evidence of his arousal wasn't as obvious as it felt to him.

They spent a while longer wandering around the amusement park, but the sudden heat between them was nearly impossible to ignore, and it wasn't long before Kim wrapped her arms around him, pulled her face to his and whispered, "Let's go home."

He wasn't sure if it was her casual use of the word 'home' to describe his house or her sultry voice that tickled his ear, but suddenly, Tommy found himself wishing Billy had perfected their teleportation system. He couldn't get home fast enough.

They drove home mostly in silence, each allowing their minds to process the significance of this sudden surge of passion between them. They maintained physical contact for the whole ride, though, with Tommy's hand again resting on her thigh and her fingertips running over the soft skin of his outstretched forearm. He had barely put the car in 'park' before he leapt to the ground and hustled to her door, ready to carry her inside if he had to.

She, however, had other plans, and as soon as her door was open she seized him by the collar and pulled him down to her in another soul-scorching kiss. Her tongue swept across his lips before dueling with his, and this time it was his turn to moan. When she reluctantly released her hold on him, her face lit up devilishly and he backed away slowly, allowing her to fling herself down from the seat and pull him by the hand toward the house.

Once inside, though, he stopped allowing himself to be led and instead chose to be the leader. He used her tiny hand to twirl her to face him, and before she knew what was happening her feet were off the ground and her back was pressed against the wall with Tommy's powerful frame pressed firmly against her.

She shrieked and giggled, ignoring the brief pain from her almost-healed injuries. "Tommy," she murmured softly as his lips found hers again, melding together softly in a gentle, merciless rhythm, his hands skimming over the bare skin of her legs, now hitched on either side of his hips.

It was around this time, when Tommy settled closely between Kim's thighs, that a mutual unspoken decision was made. Left to their own devices, their self-imposed barriers would surely dissolve the moment they made it to the bedroom.

Unfortunately, it was also in this moment that Tommy's cell phone rang in his pocket.

Tommy ignored it at first, and continued to kiss her as though his very existence depended upon it. His lips trailed away from hers slowly and made their way across her cheek and latched on to the sweet skin of her neck.

The phone rang again.

"Tommy," Kim murmured, using the wall as leverage to push back against him. "Maybe you should answer that."

"Not a chance," he breathed, his mouth now wreaking havoc just below her ear.

Another ring broke through the heavy air, and he cursed softly, pulling his lips away from her skin and allowing her feet to reach the floor.

"Really," she said, pressing her fingers against the chest that she was dying to explore, "just answer it. I'll go get us some waters and then I'll meet you upstairs." The corner of her mouth turned up in a seductive smile, and he reluctantly agreed, having already decided that whomever was on the other end of the phone call was going to deal with some evil-green-ranger-like wrath.

He watched her disappear into the kitchen as the phone rang again, and he pulled it exasperatedly from his pocket.

"Dammit!" he muttered, spotting Tanya's name on the caller ID. _I swear to God, if she's calling to yell at me about Kat…_ His mental threat trailed off, as he couldn't seem to think of a penalty harsh enough for this particular offense.

He flipped the phone open with a grimace. "Hello?"

* * *

Kim reappeared a moment later to find Tommy with the phone pressed against his ear, his stature fully upright and tense. The worry etched on his face was immediately obvious, and Kim cast a concerned look his way. He held up a single finger, indicating he'd fill her in momentarily, and she collapsed gracefully onto the couch as she began to realize that their carnal desires would probably have to wait.


	21. Chapter 21

_Hi__ all! So, I know it's been forever since I've updated this story, and I wouldn't blame you at all if you've given up on me. I'm sorry... Life sort of took over! But I've taken a renewed interest in this story and have every intention of finishing it. However, I'm not making any sort of commitment to a precise timeline, to avoid disappointing readers later on. You may want to reread the last couple of chapters to remember what was going on where we left off, and I'll apologize in advance for the multiple cliffhangers you'll find below. I do have some time off, though, so I intend to update at least a couple more times in the near future._

_Thanks to all of you for reading! And by the way, I own nothing._

_So, without further ado..._

* * *

** Chapter 21**

"Okay, first thing I need you to do is calm down. You've got to have a level head for me to be able to help you. The biggest question is, where are you? I need you to head back in and find that out." Tommy paused to rub his temple and glance quickly at Kimberly, who appeared to be hanging on every word. "No, no, I think you should keep your distance from Kat. But keep your eye on her. As soon as you let me know where you are, we'll come get both of you."

As soon as Tommy hung up the phone, Kimberly was on her feet. "What the hell is going on?"

He sighed. "Tanya and Kat went out tonight, but Kat spontaneously teleported both herself and Tanya to some bar that Tanya is unfamiliar with."

Kim shrugged. "Well, remember, teleportation was all messed up. It would follow that Kat would have gained access to teleportation when all of us did, but nobody told her that it wasn't working properly."

"I don't think that's it," Tommy replied pensively.

"Okay, then, what do _you_ think it is?" Kim asked, her patience clearly wearing thin.

"I think there's something wrong with Kat. Tanya thinks so too; maybe an after-effect of her kidnapping."

"And let me guess… You're going to jump up and run to her rescue." Kimberly launched herself from the armchair defensively and paced quickly to the other side of the room.

"Well, I don't know how much 'rescuing' I'll be doing, but I'm definitely going to try to help," Tommy stated apprehensively, not sure of her reaction. When she didn't respond, he continued, "Even Tanya says Kat's been off the last few days. I'm worried about her."

"Of course you are. You're Tommy Oliver – you worry about everyone."

He whirled indignantly to face her. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means you can't help but play the hero. Someone says they're in trouble, and Tommy goes running, like clockwork. You're so predictable!" She threw her hands in the air in exasperation, then moved close to him and lowered her voice. "If you're having second thoughts about us, just say so."

Her accusation caught him completely off guard, and he reeled to keep himself under control. "What? Where did THAT come from?"

"I knew all of this was too good to be true," Kim replied, her voice shaking and barely above a whisper. "I should have known better. The 'Tommy' I knew never would have ditched his fiancée on the verge of getting married. It was a rash decision and this is your way out." She collapsed quietly back into her chair, tears threatening to spill over her eyelids.

Tommy shook his head, trying to wrap his head around what she was saying. "Kim, I don't want to be insensitive, but…" he trailed off, looking for just the right word. What he came up with was harsh, but accurate. "You sound like a crazy person."

The cruelest part of his statement was that she knew he was right. She knew that she'd allowed the paranoid thoughts and feelings that had haunted her over the past few days to finally possess her. She dropped her head into her hands, not wanting him to see the tears as they fell.

"All I'm saying," he continued softly, crouching beside her, "is that none of this affects me and you. I love you. I've told you that over and over again for the last few days, and my heart has been screaming it my entire life. That phone call doesn't change any of that. All I want to do is find out what is going on with Kat."

Her head shot up at his last few words. "I'll tell you what is going on with Kat. She's fighting back. No one in their right mind would give you up without a fight, and that's all this is. You're going to pick them up and Kat will do everything in her power to convince you that she's right for you."

Tommy shrugged. "Then so be it. But if that's her goal, she's going to fail." His words were matter-of-fact and calm, as though he were stating the conclusion to a story that had already been written.

Kim sighed and looked away, allowing the silence between them to hang heavy in the air. When she did speak, her voice was soft and resigned. "I can't fault you for being you, Tommy. I just think you're underestimating her." She raised her wet eyes to meet his resolute gaze. "You have to admit, we've been living a bit of a fairy tale the last week or so. I feel like I'll wake up any moment and realize it's all just been a crazy dream or something. I got you back so quickly… I guess I expect to lose you even quicker."

Tommy cradled her head in his hands as she leaned toward him. "You have nothing to worry about." He tilted her chin toward him and his eyes met hers. "But you understand that I have to do this, right?"

She nodded and buried her face in his chest. "Yes, I do… But I don't have to like it."

He laughed. "I would expect nothing less."

* * *

Tanya slipped her phone back into her purse and glanced around anxiously. She stood on the deck of a large stand-alone building that appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. The sign out in front of the dirt parking lot identified the building as a bar called "Shay's Shots," but gave no indication as to the location of the bar. The humidity that hung heavily in the balmy evening air told her she was a considerable distance from Santa Cruz, though, and she found herself torn between running out to the dead-end road to find help and going back in to find Katherine.

Ultimately deciding that she couldn't abandon her friend, no matter how messed up she might be, she sighed and stepped back into the tackily-decorated bar. She glanced quickly across the room to verify that Kat was still there, and she spotted her perched at a high table, her long legs crossed seductively as she leaned in toward a handsome young man sitting in a seat across from her. Tanya watched for a moment, looking for signs of anything abnormal, and when she didn't spot anything she politely made her way to the bar to order a drink and (hopefully) find out where the heck she was.

The bartender slid her glass across the bar to her, and she smiled gratefully. Just as she opened her mouth to ask her very unusual question, though, she spotted Kat's blonde head bobbing toward the bar's exit.

"Crap!" she exclaimed, then smiled apologetically at the bartender. "I mean, thank you!" she said hurriedly, snatching her glass and dropping a few dollars in a single motion. Then she spun on her heel and headed after Kat.

Tanya reached the deck over the parking lot just as Kat and her male companion reached the bottom of the stairs. They turned quickly, Kat giggling flirtatiously and headed for the row of cars along the back of the lot.

"Kat!" Tanya called from above, hoping to stop her friend, or at least slow her down long enough to catch up with her. When Kat didn't respond, though, Tanya took to the stairs and sprinted into the parking lot. She raced as quickly as her high-heeled boots would allow her along the first row of cars after her friend, her mind barely registering the Florida license plates reflecting in the moonlight.

She caught up to Katherine only a few minutes later, after she turned the corner to the back of the lot and found Kat standing stock still in front of an ostentatious orange truck. She had nearly reached her friend when she spotted the crumpled form on the ground in front of the pointy toes of Kat's shiny black boots.

"Katherine! What the hell is going on?" Tanya cried in a panicked tone, seeing the man Kat had left the bar with slumped unconscious in front of them.

"Shh!" Kat hissed in return. "He's fine. And he'll be better than fine in just a few minutes. But Tanya, I need your help." Her voice had a calm but sinister quality to it that Tanya had never heard before, and she found herself involuntarily backing away from her tall blonde friend.

"Katherine, what on earth is going on with you?" she asked apprehensively, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"I wanted to leave you out of this," Kat replied calmly, not turning to look at Tanya. "But you're too good a friend to me. You wouldn't just let me be." Her voice turned raspy toward the end of her statement, and Tanya suddenly wished she had opted to run toward the road instead, rather than the obscurely dark corner of the parking lot. "Now I need you to come with me."

Tanya's instincts directed her to spin and run away, but Katherine was much quicker, and before Tanya had completed her turn in the opposite direction, Kat's arms were around her and her world was spinning into darkness.

* * *

"There's no one here, bro."

Tommy screeched to a halt at the top of the stairs in Kat's apartment building, shocked to find Jason waiting for him patiently. "How the hell did you get here so fast?"

"Billy straightened out the teleportation frequencies a couple of days ago. I came as soon as I got your text. I knocked for awhile, but no one answered. Then I tried the door, and it was open, but I didn't find anyone or anything."

Tommy ran his hands through his hair impatiently and pushed past his friend into Kat's apartment. "You didn't find anything out of the ordinary?"

"Well, no… but I didn't exactly go rifling through her things. I just poked my head into each room to see if they were back yet."

"They're not, and I haven't heard back from Tanya either," Tommy replied curtly, moving swiftly from the living room to the kitchen. He began rapidly swinging cabinet doors open and slamming them shut again as soon as he discovered that they were all empty. "Where the hell is all her stuff? And why didn't I know about the teleportation being fixed?"

"We've all sort of left you alone the last few days. We figured you needed some time, um… to yourself, or something." Jason followed uncomfortably behind Tommy from room to room, feeling as though he had just wandered into territory where he didn't quite belong. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"I don't know. Something. Anything," Tommy said, walking purposefully through the near-empty apartment. "Did you know she was moving out?"

"No, but you must have," Jason said resolutely. "She was planning on living with you, remember?"

Tommy stopped cold in his tracks, astonished by his own lack of insight. "You're right. She gave her landlord notice to vacate a month ago." He turned to face his friend dejectedly. "This is all my fault."

Much to Tommy's surprise, Jason laughed. "I'd be a terrible Best Man if I agreed with you. However, you've definitely found yourself right smack in the middle of a pretty messy love triangle." When Tommy didn't share in his amusement, his tone turned serious. "But listen, seriously… No matter what is going on with Kat, or Kim, or Tanya, one thing is for sure: If evil forces are at play here – and I'm pretty sure they are – _that_ is not your fault."

Tommy nodded grimly. "We've got to figure out what's going on with her, Jase. None of this seems right." He shook his head and averted his gaze to the floor. "Thanks for coming," he nearly whispered.

"Anytime."

Tommy acknowledged his friend with a half-smile, then spun quickly and headed for Kat's room with Jason close behind. The once-warmly decorated room had been stripped of its colorful wall hangings and most of its furniture. The only thing that remained was her full-sized bed covered in a pile of crumpled sheets.

"Tommy, I don't think there's anything here."

But Tommy ignored Jason's comment and headed straight for the bed sheets. He pulled the large heap on to the floor, revealing a strange glass globe underneath. "Jase…"

"I see it. It looks like…"

"The viewing globe," Tommy finished.

* * *

She wasn't sure if it was the pain in her shoulder, fear of losing Tommy again, or guilt over her notably irrational outburst earlier, but for whatever reason, Kimberly had been tossing and turning for what felt like hours. She couldn't blame Tommy for wanting to help Tanya and Kat, and she couldn't blame Kat for being upset with her and Tommy.

The worst part was, the only place left for blame was herself, and the weight of the guilt was threatening to overtake her.

She sighed and flopped over on her back, staring up at the ceiling in Tommy's room. Everything had happened so quickly with her and Tommy, and everything had felt so right from her perspective that she had never even paused to _really_ think about things from an outside point-of-view.

_This __is__ messed __up.__This __is __really__ messed __up,_was the best conclusion she could come to. And the more she thought about it, the less real it all seemed. The phrase 'too good to be true' danced in her mind, and she suddenly couldn't believe she had been so gullible to believe it would simply all work out in her favor. Frustrated, she pushed herself upward with her good arm and dropped her feet to the floor. She wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight, at least, not until Tommy returned and they could _really_ talk.

She plodded down the stairs quietly, her external world silent but her internal one deafeningly loud. Lost in the chaos of her mind, she stepped into the kitchen and helped herself to a glass of water.

The sound of the key in the front door lock barely registered in her mind. It wasn't until she heard the door close that she reacted, stepping aimlessly into the kitchen's doorway and calling out for Tommy.

She stopped dead in her tracks at the entrance to the kitchen, the glass slipping from her hand and shattering at her feet.

It wasn't Tommy.


End file.
